


when the world seems so cruel (I will be your remedy)

by blackrose1002, BlackVultures



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amputation, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dogs, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Guns, Hand Jobs, Horseback Riding, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, James MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016) Being an Asshole, Killing, Kissing, Loneliness, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Rough Sex, Scars, Sharing a Bed, Tasers, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-01-31 11:28:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 56,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21445474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose1002/pseuds/blackrose1002, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackVultures/pseuds/BlackVultures
Summary: AU. After Peña's death and getting discharged from the Army, Mac picks a random spot on the map, trying to escape his demons and his father that apparently has been controlling his life for years. He ends up in a small town in Texas and he gets a job at a ranch belonging to Jack Dalton, a mysterious man with even more mysterious past.
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 194
Kudos: 315





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> This time Sammy and I are here with another multichapter! See, the thing is, I'm obsessed with fics where Jack lives on a ranch and I'll admit, I'm very excited about writing and posting this one. I don't even remember how the idea for this was born, but here we are... and we're actually in the middle of writing this fic. But I got so excited that I decided to post the first chapter right away.
> 
> We really hope you like it and I can't wait to see your reactions!
> 
> I tagged the fic as explicit because while it may not require it now, we all know we will get there, so... *wink wink*
> 
> The title is from the song "Remedy" by Adele.
> 
> Oh, and by the way... **[this is Indiana](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/46/8d/16/468d16d9165beee21fa047c2ce0a8351.jpg)**.

As he got into his rental car at the airport in Dallas, Angus MacGyver took a deep breath, trying to calm down. His bag was in the backseat and he was all set and ready to go... somewhere. He wasn't sure where, but he knew that after everything that had happened there was no chance in hell he was going back to Los Angeles. He was still wearing his uniform since he hadn't exactly had time to change and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to stop the trembling of his hands.

Pushing back the memories, he started the engine and forced himself to focus on driving, so that he didn't crash the car. Once he got out of the airport parking lot, he just took a random turn, not looking at the signs and not checking the map on his phone - and if he got lost in the middle of nowhere, then so be it.

Right now he was feeling every word of his chronic severe PTSD diagnosis as it was listed in his discharge papers, and he hated himself for it. Tears welled in his eyes as he drove out of Dallas, a city he had picked at random when he had been asked where he wanted to be flown to from the German base where he had been treated. He blinked them back and tightened his grip on the steering wheel, trying not to think about the ways his world had been turned upside down in the past couple of weeks and failing miserably.

No matter how hard he tried to distract himself, his mind kept drifting back to Peña and that awful day a few weeks back. He could still hear the sounds of explosion ringing in his ears, he could still smell the smoke and fire after the bomb had gone off, destroying the entire building... and Peña along with it. Mac let out a tiny sob, the guilt almost too overwhelming, because he was fully aware that it should have been him and if only that damn robot hadn't broken down... it was Mac's fault.

And then after that, while Mac had still been in base medical and under sedation, he had thought he was hallucinating when his father had walked through the door. As it turned out, James MacGyver was not only alive and well, but perfectly happy controlling his son's life from afar until Mac couldn't function after Peña's death. That was when he had decided to step in and tell Mac that he wasn't living up to his potential, and that he needed to suck it up so he could get back out in the field.

The brief happiness Mac had felt when he saw his father had vanished pretty quickly after that. As it turned out, Mac was more messed up than even he had realized and he had wound up getting discharged. His father wasn't pleased with the outcome, but Mac couldn't have cared less at that point and he knew that he had to get away, as far away from James MacGyver as possible.

He had ignored his father's last-ditch offer of employment at someplace called DXS and had hopped on the first transport he could have gotten and now he was driving aimlessly, having left the highway at a random exit to cruise down surface streets. There wasn't much more out here than the two-lane road and the darkness, and a glance at the dashboard clock told him he had started driving three hours ago.

A sign coming up told him he was approaching a town, and a moment later he stopped at a red light at a four-lane intersection. On one corner was a bank, and on the other was a diner. There was also a small motel and some stores, but what caught Mac's attention was a gas station.

When the light turned green he headed in that direction and a moment later he pulled over at the gas station. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths and trying to figure out what to do. He could keep driving, but he was pretty tired and also... he had to eventually stop _somewhere_, right? He couldn't live in the car forever and he had wanted to run away, find a quiet place to stay low... so why not this little town?

He got out of the car and went into the store to pay, since he didn't want to use his credit card in case his father was trying to track him. He had only got about a hundred bucks in cash on him, but he could always sleep in the car... even if the prospect scared him a little. He squinted in the bright lights of the store and went up to the counter, managing to muster a smile for the girl near the register. "Hey, can I get twenty bucks on pump three, please?"

"Sure thing," she replied, way too cheerful for such a late hour. She took the money from him and just as he was about to turn around and leave, she spoke again: "Hey, you okay?" She must have seen his furrowed brow and a questioning look in his eyes, because she shrugged. "You don't look that well. Rough night?" She didn't comment on the uniform which was... interesting, but Mac was grateful for that since he wasn't really in a mood to talk about it.

He ran a hand through his short hair. "You could say that." He tried to smile again and it didn't quite work, so he covered for it by going to the refrigerated case for a six pack of beer. He came back to the register to pay and pulled out his license before she could ask for it. She was still watching him, and Mac racked his brain for something to say that wouldn't make him seem like a freak. "Uh... I'm new in town, if that wasn't obvious. Do you happen to know if anyone around here is hiring?"

She tilted her head and watched him for a moment longer before scanning the beer. "Kinda," she eventually said, taking the money from him. "There's a guy that owns a ranch just outside of town and rumor has it he's been lookin' for someone to help him with fixing some stuff around there."

"Rumor?" Mac raised his eyebrow.

"He doesn't talk to almost anyone around here, so it's not like I know that from him." She shrugged again. "But people talk. His name's Jack Dalton, but... you may wanna rethink approaching him."

"Why?" Mac asked, leaning against the counter. He was intrigued, mostly because at this point anything would be better than thinking about his own problems. "Is he a hermit or something?"

"Or something," the girl echoed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "He's a veteran, I know that much. He doesn't like it when people come onto his property... if you're going to go, I'd wait until morning. He might shoot you otherwise."

A small part of him actually considered that possibility which proved how fucked up his head was right now. He quickly pushed that away and thought about what to do... and he found himself actually wanting to meet this guy, maybe really stay in this town. "Where's that ranch?" he asked before he could stop himself, and once the girl told him where to go, he smiled. "Thanks for the info," he said, ignoring the dubious look she gave him, and then he walked back to his car.

He gassed up quickly and stuck the six-pack on the passenger's seat, then drove through town and followed the girl's directions. Soon he found himself rumbling down a bumpy dirt road and turned when he saw a mailbox with the right number, but had to stop when he saw a large cattle gate across the driveway and a wooden fence spreading across the land on either side. It was too dark to make out anything beyond the gate except for some tire tracks in the driveway. It was pretty spooky, and Mac almost considered turning back... but he had come this far, hadn't he?

He got out of the car, but left the lights on so that he didn't kill himself before even making it past the gate. He thought he saw some buildings in the dark which made sense and after taking one more deep breath he made up his mind. He walked up to the gate and climbed over it, aware he was acting like a burglar, but he didn't want to attract too much attention by opening the gate if it was rusty and creaking. He started walking toward what he thought was a house - and it was, he realized once he was close enough - wondering if he was going to get shot any time soon.

Nothing like that happened and when he got to the porch he saw the lights were on inside - he couldn't have seen them from afar because of thick curtains. Slowly, he took a few steps up and after swallowing, he knocked on the door.

There was a TV on inside, and Mac could make out what he thought was audio from some kind of old action movie. He knocked again when there was no response, louder this time, and waited a beat before deciding maybe the guy was just not going to come to the door. He was about to turn around to head back to his car when his ears picked up another sound, coming from behind him: the distinct _crunch-crunch_ of a shotgun getting pumped. A voice followed a moment later, gravelly and deep and very, very pissed. "Who the fuck are you and what do you want?"

"I'm... I was told that you're looking for someone to fix some stuff around here?" Mac said after a moment, deciding that maybe leading with that would save him from getting his head blown to pieces. "I know it's late and I'm sorry, I... I just got here and I'm trying to..." He swallowed, because what was he trying to do? He had no idea. "I'm trying to figure some shit out."

There was a long pause from behind him, like Dalton was trying to judge whether he was talking out his ass. "I am looking for help, and I'm willin' to pay," he said, but Mac got the distinct feeling that if he turned around that shotgun would be level with his head. "Who told you about me?"

"The girl at the gas station," Mac started, and searched his mind, he knew he had seen her name on her nametag... "Katie?"

"Nice kid," Dalton grunted. "Sure you don't have any other obligations, hoss? Army, maybe?"

Mac startled a little because it was dark and the door was still closed, so no light was coming from the inside... but Dalton had somehow managed to spot his uniform. "I'm... no, not really," he said, but he didn't sound as confident as before, another wave of memories making his voice shake just a little. "Just got discharged, I... my transport landed in Dallas a few hours ago."

"And you just happened to end up on my doorstep?" Dalton said, his tone bone dry, and even though Mac wasn't looking he could imagine he was sneering. "Fat fuckin' chance. Who sent you, huh? Army intelligence? CIA?"

"Neither," Mac replied, and decided to take another risk. He turned around at a glacially slow pace, kept his arms down by his sides but his palms turned outward so Dalton could see he wasn't holding anything - he must have been a sniper if his vision was that good. "I'm telling you the truth, whether you'd like to believe it or not. All I want is a job and somewhere... quiet to be for a while."

Even though it was dark Mac could now see Dalton watching him with a... scarily neutral look on his face. He had his shotgun pointed at him, his grip firm and steady, and Mac made sure to stay completely still. It was hard to make out the features of Dalton's face in the darkness, but the man was handsome, that much Mac could tell... and it was definitely not something he should be thinking about right now. "Still not sure you're tellin' the truth, but I'll bite," Dalton drawled, taking one step closer, his shotgun still trained on Mac. "Why here? You ain't from Texas, that much is obvious... don't you have a home to go back to instead of bothering strangers in the middle of the night?"

The word "home" triggered a response in Mac that he couldn't control, tears welling in his eyes, one spilling down his cheek. "No," he whispered, and felt his hands start to tremble. "No, I don't have a home anymore. My father, he..." He trailed off, not wanting to share his story, but he knew it was probably the only way to win some tiny piece of Dalton's trust. "He left a few years after my mom died without a word. My grandfather raised me, but he died after I left to go to college. It's kind of a long story but I wound up in the army, and..." He decided to keep Peña to himself, at least for now. "Turns out my dad's been orchestrating my whole life from the shadows. He just didn't want to see me to do it."

He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling like he was going to fall apart if he didn't. “Damn, kid, that’s dark,” Dalton said after a moment, his voice still hard but somehow not as threatening as before. “And you just got discharged? And came straight here?”

Mac nodded, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "My flight out was today, yeah. I really did pick Dallas at random, and then I just... drove away from the airport and kept going until I was almost out of gas." He hesitated. "My father is looking for me, and I can't... the doctors told me I have PTSD. He doesn't get it."

It must have been the right thing to say because Dalton lowered his shotgun a little. “Where did you serve?”

“Afghanistan,” Mac said quietly, wiping the tear from his cheek, angry that he had let himself lose it. “I was an EOD technician.”

Dalton barked out a laugh, and he lowered the shotgun completely, swinging it up to rest against his shoulder in a practiced motion. "So you're crazy, huh?"

Mac smiled without knowing it until it was a grin that felt like it was going to break his face. "Not the first time I've heard that. And according to the army I'm batshit insane, so..."

Dalton watched him for a moment, then said, "Go get your bag and get your ass inside."

"What? R-really?" Mac asked, hating that his voice stuttered a little. He hadn't expected that if he was being honest - he had hoped that Dalton would have maybe kicked him out and told him to come back in the morning, or just kicked him out - but not this.

"Yeah, really," Dalton said, rolling his eyes. "And get your car closer, you don't wanna leave it out there."

"Okay... thank you," Mac said softly, and brushed by Dalton to go back down the driveway. He went back to the car and drove it in so that it was next to Dalton's, which was some kind of long-bodied classic car. He grabbed his bag and the six-pack and followed Dalton up the porch stairs and into the house.

It got wooden floors and a cozy farmhouse feel that Mac wasn't familiar with but he liked it immediately. When Dalton saw the beer his eyes - which were a whiskey-dark shade of brown - lit up like it was Christmas. "Well, look at that - here I thought you weren't old enough to drink."

Mac rolled his eyes. "It's the haircut. Makes me look like I'm twelve."

"More like ten," Dalton muttered, the corner of his lips twitching up in a tiny smirk. He was... Mac couldn't quite out his finger on it, but he could tell that there was more to him than just a scary guy that apparently terrified some people in the town. "What's your name anyway?"

Mac hesitated. "You're going to laugh." When Dalton only raised an eyebrow, he sighed. "Angus MacGyver. Most people just call me Mac."

Dalton was quiet for a second, one corner of his mouth twitching up in a smirk. "You sure you ain't from Texas? Because gettin' named after cattle is a pretty Texas thing."

Mac rolled his eyes again, but he was internally relieved - as far as the jokes about his name went, this one wasn't really that bad. "Yeah, go ahead, laugh all you want," he said with a shrug. "I'm used to it."

Dalton just shook his head with a quiet sound that almost sounded like a chuckle and he set the shotgun on the table. Mac raised his eyebrows when Dalton also pulled out a handgun that he apparently had tucked under the waistband of his jeans, but he decided not to say anything.

"I'm Jack," Dalton said after a moment. "Dalton, but I'm guessing you already knew that."

Mac found himself smiling again. "Nice to meet you, Jack." He set the six-pack down on the coffee table and took a seat on the couch when Jack did, making sure to leave a fair distance between them. Then he used the bottle opener on his Swiss Army knife for both of them before he took a sip. "So why do people in town think you're so terrifying?"

There was a second when Mac thought that Jack was actually going to smile, but whatever spark he thought he had seen was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. "You don't have much of a self-preservation instinct, do you?" he drawled, eyeing Mac with an raised eyebrow. "You were an EOD tech, of course you don't," he muttered, and Mac couldn't help but smile a little. Jack was quiet for a moment and took a sip of his beer. "It doesn't matter. If they're scared, they don't come bothering me. And I like it that way." There was a certain final note in his voice and Mac could already tell he wasn't going to find out more tonight. Or maybe ever.

"So you _are_ a hermit," Mac mused, thinking back to what he had said to Katie back at the gas station. When Jack glared at him, Mac smiled wider than before. "Or maybe you're more like a bridge troll."

"Wouldn't that require that I live under a bridge, instead of in a house?" Jack asked, sounding surprisingly amused. "And am I one of those weird hairless trolls, or like a Yoda troll?"

"Well, you seem to be using words in a human order, so not so much of a Yoda," Mac said teasingly, wondering where this weird confidence was coming from. He had no doubt Jack could probably kill him with his pinky finger - he was most likely former special forces, he had to be - and yet Mac didn't feel threatened at all. "You're also not completely hairless... so maybe you're a new kind of a troll."

"Yeah, I'm the kind that walks around his whole house to point a shotgun at a dude's back," Jack said dryly. Before the conversation could devolve any further, there was a rustling sound from down the hallway and Jack's eyes went wide. "Oh shit, I forgot about - "

A giant furry blur jumped over the back of the couch and practically tackled Mac, almost knocking him off the couch and he nearly spilled his beer as a wet dog tongue slobbered all over his face.

Mac let out a startles laugh, blindly setting the bottle on the coffee table and wrapping his arms around the dog. It was a huge black thing and it was staring at him with dark eyes, making a very happy sound when Mac rubbed its back and then started scratching it behind the ears. "Hey there," he said with a grin, laughing when the dog licked him again, and then he looked up at Jack who was watching him with a furrowed brow. "What?"

"Nothin', it's just... Indiana doesn't usually like people he doesn't know," Jack replied, patting the dog on the hip. "Easy boy, give him a chance to breathe."

Indiana blatantly ignored that request, nudging under Mac's chin and all but sitting in his lap. "Really? He seems sweet," Mac said, picking up his beer again once the dog settled in between him and Jack on the couch. He nodded toward the TV. "So what are you watching?"

"Well, I _was_ watching Die Hard when someone showed up on my doorstep," Jack said, giving Mac a pointed that look that some people would have probably found intimidating... but Mac didn't.

"I've never seen it," Mac commented, and Jack looked so offended that it made him smile.

"Excuse me? Damn, kid, you've got so much to learn." Mac wanted to come up with some witty retort, but before he could do that he found himself stifling a yawn. The exhaustion was slowly catching up with him and now that he thought about it he couldn't remember the last time he slept.

Jack eyed him critically before reaching for the remote and shutting off the TV. He patted Indiana on the head and stood up - putting more weight on his right leg than his left - then grabbed the rest of the six-pack and headed for the hallway. "Go ahead and take the couch. There's a blanket on the chair and the bathroom's the first door on the left. I'll wake you up in the morning and we can figure out what you'll get up to first, yeah?"

Indiana also jumped off the couch and trotted past Jack, disappearing in one of the rooms down the hallway. “Okay,” Mac said softly. “I’m... thank you,” he added when Jack turned around and was about to leave.

It made him look over his shoulder, his dark eyes watching him for a moment before he nodded. “Don’t make me regret it,” he said quietly, and then he was gone, walking away and also disappearing in the same room Indiana had entered a moment earlier.

The door shut behind him, a barrier in more than one way, and Mac decided he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He took off his boots and socks along with his uniform jacket and pants, leaving him in a t-shirt and his underwear - he saved his clean clothes for tomorrow when he could take a shower without thinking he might fall down from exhaustion. He checked to make sure the door was locked before getting comfortable on the couch, pulling the blanket over himself and using a throw pillow to rest his head. Despite the fact that he was in a stranger's house in unfamiliar country, this was the most at peace he had felt since Peña died.

Yawning, he snuggled down and shut his eyes, and didn't have to wait long before sleep took him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! Hopefully the second chapter will be up soon ♥


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! 
> 
> Here we are again! The truth is, I'm so happy about the positive response for this fic that I just couldn't keep you waiting any longer and here we are with the next chapter! It's... long, but we hope you don't mind ;D

_There was smoke. A lot of smoke and fire, but Mac didn't care, he pushed through because he couldn't leave, he needed to find Peña. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and kept walking, coughing as the smoke got into his lungs. It was hot, too hot, and Mac felt like he was going to melt... and then he saw him. Peña, lying on the ground, not moving. Not breathing, his body burned so much he was barely recognizable, but Mac knew. _

_"No, no, please," he whimpered, dropping down to his knees and shaking Peña's charred body. "Please, don't-" _

_Suddenly, Peña's eyes snapped open and Mac gasped, but then he whimpered again when Peña spoke in a hoarse voice: "This is your fault, Mac. I died because of you. Your fault." _

_"I'm sorry," Mac sobbed, shaking Peña's body when his eyes slipped shut again. "I'm sorry, no, no..."_

"No," Mac gasped, his eyes snapping open as he sat up straight. Panting, he frantically looked around, but... he wasn't in the Sandbox. It took him a few seconds, but then he remembered everything, his father, getting discharged, flying out to Dallas, meeting Jack...

Exhaling shakily, he squeezed his eyes shut when he felt them fill with tears and he covered his mouth to muffle a sob. Suddenly, there was a whine coming from right next to him that made Mac jump a little and a moment later Indiana climbed on the couch, clambering into Mac's lap and whining again. Sniffling, Mac wrapped his arms around Indiana and buried his face in his long, thick fur, letting out another tiny sob. The dog stayed still, letting Mac cry into him and just snuggling against his chest, and he was so patient - too patient, almost like he had done this before. And even though Mac felt awful and everything inside him hurt... the dog helped and Mac found his presence comforting.

He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but pretty soon he was squinting as the sun started to rise and glint through the curtains. He sniffled and pet Indiana on the head, his tears mostly dried up by now. "Thank you," he whispered to the dog, and got a lick on his chin in response.

He could hear Jack moving around in his bedroom, so he moved Indiana and the blanket and grabbed his bag, heading into the bathroom to take a shower and brush his teeth. It had been a while since Mac could take a normal shower and it felt... nice. What also felt nice was wearing jeans and a henley instead of his uniform and even though he looked exhausted when he glanced into the mirror, he felt... he didn't know exactly how, but better than in the last few weeks.

When he got out of the bathroom Indiana was still on the couch, snuggled into the blanket, and Mac couldn't help but smile... until he startled and jumped a little when Jack's voice sounded right behind him: "Slept well, kid?"

Mac turned to face him and nodded. "Yeah, I did." He elected not to mention his nightmare, because surely if he had disturbed Jack he would have say something. "So what's on the agenda?"

"Breakfast," Jack replied, and it was only when he went to brush by Mac that he noticed the empty beer bottles in his hands. There was also a limp to his gait that was more pronounced than it had been last night, but it seemed to get better the longer Jack was on his feet. "You like pancakes?"

“Who doesn’t like pancakes?” Mac answered with a question, smiling when Jack snorted a little. “I’d offer to help, but I... I can’t really cook,” he added sheepishly, and felt his cheeks flush pink when Jack turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

“What about coffee? You think you can handle a coffee machine?”

"I haven't blown one up... yet," Mac said, and was relieved when Jack chuckled. Everything he had said in the army after Peña had been taken so seriously, it was nice for a joke to be recognized. He made them a pot of coffee with relative ease - the machine wasn't one of those complicated ones - and then sat on the counter to watch Jack make breakfast. Now that it was light and Mac wasn't half-dead from exhaustion, he got a chance to appreciate Jack's good looks... which was probably a mistake, but he couldn't help himself.

They were about the same height, though Jack was well-built in a way Mac wasn't and never would be. He kind of had to force himself to look away from Jack's arms that looked... very nice in the tight t-shirt he was wearing, and Mac quickly tried to think of something else. Jack's eyes were even more gorgeous in a daylight and the stubble looked great on him... and then Mac noticed a long scar on Jack's neck. He had enough common sense to not ask about it, but now he couldn't help but wonder what his story was.

"Do I have somethin' on my face?" Jack's voice rumbled as he poured the pancakes on to the griddle. He didn't sound angry, which was nice, but getting caught staring still made Mac flush.

"N-No, of course not," he mumbled, clearing his throat a second later. "I was just wondering what this place needs done."

"Almost everything," Jack said, throwing some bacon on the stove with the pancakes. "Most pressin' thing is probably the horse barn, since half the roof is caving in. Not exactly a one man job to fix."

"Oh, you have horses?" Mac asked absently, his mind already working on ideas how to start fixing the bard.

"It's a ranch in the middle of nowhere in Texas," Jack said dryly, pushing Indiana away who had materialized by his side out of nowhere the second Jack had taken out bacon. "Of course I have horses."

Indiana turned to Mac, panting and looking up at him with big sad eyes, and he scratched the dog on the head absently. "I know how to ride," Mac told Jack, because he sensed that was going to be a question at some point. "My grandfather taught me."

"Good, that means I don't have to," Jack said, and while some might have taken that as a prickly response, Mac saw it for what it was - a statement of fact. "Also means we can take a couple horses out after we eat so I can show you around. Last thing I need is you gettin' lost."

Mac raised his eyebrows, scratching Indiana's head again after he nudged his hand. "The ranch is that big?" He hadn't gotten to see much last night because of the darkness, but he did remember that the fence had seemed never ending when he had been by the gate.

Jack just snorted and didn't reply, but it was more of an amused sound that an annoyed one. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't recommend sightseeing on foot," he eventually said, rolling his eyes when Indiana whined. "God dammit, you act like I'm starvin' you! Have some dignity, man."

Mac's mouth tilted up in a smile. "Dogs aren't known for their dignity. I think that's cats."

"Even if it was dogs, it wouldn't be this one," Jack said, throwing the pancakes and bacon on two plates with practiced skill... and slipping Indiana a piece of bacon when he thought Mac wasn't looking. They went to the table with their plates and coffee, and Mac noticed that when Jack sat down he sort of... splayed his left leg out to the side a little. He didn't comment on it, digging into the food and suddenly realizing he hadn't eaten since the plane ride across the Atlantic.

"Easy, hoss. Nobody's goin' to steal your food," Jack commented, but then seemed to reconsider. "Unless you leave your plate unattended, then Indy's gonna be on it before you know it."

Mac blushed again and forced himself to slow down a little. "Sorry, it's just... I haven't had pancakes in a while. Or anything else for that matter."

"No wonder you're so damn skinny," Jack grumbled, one hand dropping to pet Indiana's head when the dog laid it on his thigh - the right one, Mac noted, not the left.

They ate in silence after that, and when they were done Mac got up and cleared the plates, then got them both more coffee since Jack didn't seem to be in a big rush. Mac glanced around the house now that it was awash in daylight, and he noticed that while everything was clean, there were some portions of the place that were in disrepair.

Despite that, the house still felt... homey, in a way Mac almost wasn't familiar with. The army and the Sandbox had never felt like home, obviously, and while he had felt some of that atmosphere when he had been living with his grandfather... it felt like a million years ago. He briefly wondered what it would have been like to be back at LA - he missed Bozer, but he was sure his best friend would understand... if Mac told him what happened. He would have to contact him eventually and let him know he was alive, but he also didn't want his father to find him and he had a feeling he had a lot of resources at his disposal.

"Where did you go just now?" Jack's voice brought him back, and when Mac looked at him Jack was eyeing him with an unreadable look on his face.

"I just... thought about my old house. In LA."

Jack was quiet for a moment, then he asked, "What's it like?"

So Mac told him about how his grandfather had built the place in an eclectic mix of mid-century modern, art deco, and contemporary styles. He talked a little bit about Bozer and what it was like to grow up in California, but eventually he realized he was rambling. "Sorry," he said, nervously tapping his fingertips against his coffee mug. "I just haven't talked about anything personal in... a long time. Not since my last overwatch."

"Been a while since I talked to an actual human being for more than ten seconds so..." Jack trailed off with a shrug, and Mac had to try very hard not to stare at the scar on his neck. "It's weird, but... not bad." Mac bit his lower lip and he had a feeling that this probably meant a lot coming from Jack. "What about your overwatch?" Jack asked after a moment. "He got discharged as well or did he stay over there?"

Mac's chest ached, his free hand curling into a fist in his lap. "He's, uh... he died," he whispered, dropping his gaze to the scratched tabletop. "We were on a call, and the robot we'd send in to check out the bomb broke down again... I was gonna go in, but Peña insisted, and... well, he outranked me." A bitter chuckle. "Next thing I know the building's blown to pieces and the only friend I had in that hellhole's dead. He had a wife and a little girl, and... well, it should've been me."

Jack was quiet for a longer moment before saying: “I’m sorry. Wish I could tell you it'll stop hurting... It won’t, but it'll get easier.” A sigh. “Blaming yourself will get you nowhere.”

Mac exhaled shakily before forcing himself to look up. “You served.” It wasn't a question, but a statement - not only had that Katie girl mentioned Jack was a veteran, but his general demeanor screamed so.

Jack nodded, that scar on his neck rippling with the motion. "I did, in a whole lotta places this country never should've been," he said, and took a sip off his coffee. "I was Delta Force for a long time, and I've been all the same places you have, kid, and to some worse ones. Post nine-eleven I wound up working for the CIA... and, well, that didn't end so good for me." One of his hands moved to rub self-consciously over that scar on his neck, which Mac now realized must have been from shrapnel. He cleared his throat and stands up. "Alright, enough chit-chat - let's see how you are on a horse."

Mac could take the hint even though often he deliberately didn't, but he didn't want to piss Jack off - too many things depended on Jack letting him stay. They walked outside and Mac noticed Jack was walking almost normally right now - but he quickly forced himself to stop staring. Indiana also ran out of the house after them, jumping around happily and clearly loving being outside. Jack led him to what must have been the horse barn he had mentioned and Mac saw Jack wasn't lying - it really needed some serious fixing.

When they walked inside Mac saw a few horses and he couldn't help but smile - they reminded him of his grandfather. "Pick one," Jack told him, leaning against one of the gates and petting a black horse that walked up closer. "Except this one."

Mac looked around at his options, and settled on a gray horse with a black mane and spots of black and white scattered over its coat. "That's Sharona," Jack told him, something that could almost be a smile crossing his face when the horse nudged Mac's hand with her nose. "And evidently she likes you. Grab a saddle and let's get going, yeah?"

Mac did as he was told, carefully saddling Sharona just like his grandfather had taught him, aware of Jack's gaze on him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack moving around and he didn't miss how gentle he was with his horse, petting it all the time and smiling a little - it was clear he loved it a lot. "What about your horse?" he asked, too curious to let it go. "It seems to be very attached to you." And Jack seemed attached to the horse, but Mac knew better than to say it out loud.

"His name's Yoda," Jack said, that little smile still on his face as he swung himself on the horse's back. "That wasn't a throwaway comment I made about the trolls last night, dude, _Star Wars_ is a classic franchise."

"I know, Bozer likes those movies," Mac said, climbing up on Sharona and petting her neck when she didn't throw him off. "Lead the way, young-ish padawan."

"Young-ish?" Jack repeated indignantly, but Mac could tell he wasn't really angry. He just shrugged and Jack snorted, shaking his head, and then they got out of the barn. Mac could see Jack watching him, but he didn't say anything, so Mac assumed he had passed the test. It had been a long time since he was in the saddle, but it didn't feel weird - it felt nice, actually, he had missed it.

Once they were past the barn and the main house, Mac could see exactly how extensive the ranch was. There were actually two other houses on the property, along with a large garage and what looked like a cow pasture. "How big is this place?"

"About a hundred miles, give or take," Jack replied, slowing Yoda to a trot, so Mac did the same with Sharona. "There's a lake with some decent fishing, along with some uncleared forest. But there's also no signs, so it's easy to get lost."

"It's... it's beautiful," Mac said quietly, looking around in awe. The sun was shining and even though he had spent his entire tour in the sun, here he didn't mind.

"More like ruined," Jack muttered under his breath, but Mac shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. It's amazing."

"Well, I guess it beats the desert and the Sandbox," Jack drawled, chuckling a little when Indiana raced past them, apparently chasing... something, or just running for fun.

It was chillier than Mac had expected Texas to be even in December, so he was glad he had grabbed his flak jacket before they had left the house. They rode some more, closer to the woods, and Mac spotted a treehouse with several sets of initials burned into the side... and the biggest one is "J.D." "You grew up here, didn't you?" he asked, the question out of his mouth before he could think better of it.

Luckily, Jack didn't get upset. "Guilty as charged. I'm the last Dalton who still lives in Texas," he said, whistling for Indiana to follow them. "Even my mama took off for Florida last year. Now it's just me and the dog."

"Sounds lonely," Mac blurted out, cursing his inability to keep his mouth shut. Jack didn't say anything and Mac bit his lower lip. "What about your siblings?" From the sets of initials Mac assumed there were four more Daltons except for Jack, but he kept that to himself.

"Moved away. Jobs, families." Jack shrugged. "They have better things to do than run a ranch."

"But you came back," Mac said, well aware he was risking his life, probably. "You could've gone anywhere after getting out the army and CIA, but you came back."

Jack threw him a sharp glance, but didn't pull his gun or leap from his horse to strangle Mac. "Couldn't stay away. All I wanted while I was... well, anywhere else, was to come home." A beat of silence. "Plus, as you've probably figured out by now, I wasn't exactly in tip-top shape when I left the CIA. I've caught you starin' at my scars more than once. You ain't subtle."

Mac glanced away, biting his lip again. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, deciding it would probably be smart to retreat for now. “I didn’t mean to pry.” He also didn't miss the way Jack had mentioned scars, plural... so far he had noticed just the one on the neck, but that meant there were more.

They rode in silence for a while and after some time they reached the lake Jack had mentioned earlier. There was a wooden jetty there and a small boat, and everything looked almost... idyllic, but Mac refrained from making a comment.

Jack looked at Mac, another little smile appearing on his face. "It's awfully pretty, ain't it? Better out here where I can't see the buildings falling down."

"We can fix the buildings," Mac said, twisting the reins in his fingers, though not hard enough to cause Sharona any discomfort. "Is this a bad time to tell you I'm afraid of heights? I mean, I'm usually okay on ladders, but... I guess I'm saying if I pass out on a roof don't fire me?"

"How do you know you're hired yet?" Jack asked wryly, but before Mac could panic, he added, "I'm kidding, blondie. Chill out."

Mac took a deep breath to calm down his heart that had started beating a little faster. "So... I can stay?" he asked, trying to control his voice so it didn't sound too hopeful. "I mean, I'm not expecting you to let me live here!" he quickly rushed to say, not wanting to assume anything... and he started rambling, just like he always did when he got nervous: "I can go to the motel, it's not a problem, I just didn't wanna use my credit card, but with you paying me I'm gonna have the cash so-"

A hand landed on Mac's shoulder, large and strong, squeezing lightly. "Hey, kid, calm down," Jack said, and the gravel in his voice shouldn't be comforting but it was. "You can stay as long as you want, providing you don't nail your hand to a board or something." He hesitated. "What's the likelihood that your old man's gonna come around looking for you, anyway?"

Mac closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax after his little monologue. Jack took his hand away after a moment and Mac instantly missed it, which was ridiculous. "Honestly? I have no idea," he admitted quietly. "I'm... I made myself pretty clear that I want nothing to do with him... but I don't think he cares about that. All he cares about is my potential." He spat that last word like a poison. "And I... I think he may be running some kind of intelligence agency, so... I understand if you want nothing to do with that. I... I can go, if you want me to."

"Nah, you don't need to worry about him as long as you're out here with me," Jack said, which... wasn't the response Mac had been expecting at all. He flashed Mac a grin, and that expression made him weak at the knees. "Just need to know if I'm taking out one dude or an army, that's all." He paused as they nudged the horses back in the direction of the buildings. "That came out wrong. I won't kill your father... unless you want me to."

Mac was too speechless to reply right away and Jack just chuckled. "That... won't be necessary. Hopefully," Mac managed to say after a moment, trying to wrap his mind around what Jack had just said. "Thanks, Jack. For... for letting me stay and offering to take out my father." He smiled a little. "Although that offer is probably why people are scared of you."

Jack shrugged, that gorgeous grin fading from his face. "Probably, but like I said before, I like it that way." They got back to the stable and got the horses put away, and then they walked out to look at the buildings.

"I think the house might actually need to worked on first," Mac commented, squinting up at the roofline. "Unless you'd like puddles inside the next time it rains."

"You may have a point," Jack agreed before glancing at Mac, and looking him up and down. "I probably should've asked you if you even know anything about fixin' stuff before I hired you."

Mac smiled a little, putting his hands in his pockets to stop himself from wringing his fingers. "I'm actually quite good at building things and fixing them as well," he said with a little shrug. "I like to improvise."

That seemed to be good enough for Jack, and he led Mac to the garage where they grabbed some ladders and tools. Then they clambered onto the roof and Mac made a point of not looking down as they started stripping off shingles and throwing them down on a tarp.

When they took a break near noon Jack called into town for a dumpster and ordered some roofing materials too. His end of the conversation was mostly grunts and Mac could hear that the guy on the other end sounded like he was going to pee himself.

He wasn't sure why, but he found it extremely amusing. He could see why people found Jack scary, but he also had a sense of humor (even though he tried to hide it) and Mac could have seen the gentler side of him when he had watched him with Yoda and Indiana. He wondered if anyone in town had ever tried to get to know Jack better - although if he had grown up here, they probably had known him at some point. But Mac assumed some legends had started going around probably once Jack had come back, and Jack seemed pleased with being a terror.

He looked the part too, in his big plaid shirt and leather jacket, stubble covering most of his face and working on growing into a beard. While Jack gave the building supply guy his credit card details Mac hopped down off the roof and went into the house. He couldn't do much in a kitchen, but slapping together a couple of sandwiches wasn't hard. He also turned his phone back on for the first time in a while and saw several dozen messages from his father, along with quite a few from Bozer.

He knew it was risky turning his phone on, but even if his father found him... so what? He couldn't force him to leave and Jack had offered to kick his ass which was very nice of him since they had just met, so Mac wasn't as worried about that as he had been before.

He debated texting Bozer, but then decided that his best friend deserved better, so he dialed his number instead. "Mac?" Bozer surprisingly answered after two signals. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

"Hey, Boze," Mac said, smiling when he heard his voice. "I'm... I'm good. I know I owe you an explanation, but..." He trailed off, trying to figure out what to say. "I couldn't come home, Boze."

"Yeah, your dad came here looking for you," Bozer said, his tone disgusted. "Once I heard the story I told him to fuck off. Hope that's okay."

"It's... perfect, man, thank you," Mac said, swallowing around the lump in his throat.

"So where are you, anyway?" Bozer asked, and there was noise in the background, almost like he was packing a suitcase. "I'm getting on the next plane as soon as you tell me where to go."

"No!" Mac said, a little too harshly, so he rushed to add: "I miss you, man, but I... I need some time to figure things out." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm okay, I'm safe... I actually got a job," he said with a tiny smile. As much as he would love to see Bozer, he needed more distance from everything. Plus he couldn't imagine Jack being happy about more visitors. "Can you trust me on this? Give me some time?"

Bozer was quiet for a moment before he sighed. "Okay, fine. But you gotta promise you're not just gonna go off the grid again like that, man, I was worried."

"That's totally fair, I won't do it again," Mac said, and hung up a few moments later after he promised to text at least once a day.

"Who was that?" Jack voice came from right behind him, scaring the shit out of Mac _again_. "And did you make sandwiches?"

"Jesus," Mac muttered, clutching his heart. "That was Bozer, the best friend I mentioned earlier. And yes, I did make sandwiches."

Jack looked very happy about that and plopped down on one of the chairs. Mac was about to join him, but then he saw that along with dozens of texts from his father that he ignored, he had also left one voicemail... and before Mac could stop himself, he pressed play and put the phone to his ear.

The voicemail started out silent, save for his father's labored breathing. "Angus, I cannot even begin to describe the kind of mistake you're making," he said, voice tight with anger and laced with disappointment. "I've made sure you've had so many opportunities, and this is what you choose to do with them? Throw it all away because one man died? He was doing his job, Angus, which is something you seem to have forgotten is important." A sigh. "I'll find you once you've had a chance to get your head on straight. Goodbye, son."

Mac squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to cry in front of Jack, but he was afraid it wasn't going to work. He set the phone on the table with a shaking hand and he felt his lower lip tremble as he desperately tried to keep it together. "Hey, man, you alright?" Jack's voice sounded right next to him which meant he must have gotten up and walked up to him. Not saying anything, Mac just shook his head and blindly reached for the phone and played the voicemail again, this time putting the phone on speaker.

Jack listened to the message with a neutral expression on his face, but by the time it ended there was something ugly brewing in those dark eyes. "What a fucking asshole," he growled out, and even though he was distraught over the call from his father, Mac couldn't help but note his body shivered pleasantly at the sound of it. "Who the hell does he think he is, trying to tell you how to mourn your friend? Or that you're somehow lesser because you actually have feelings?"

"I don't know," Mac whispered. "He walked out on me when I was ten. _Ten_. And then he shows up out of nowhere and I find out he's been watching and planning all those years..." Mac cut off, shaking his head and swallowing the lump in his throat. "Peña's death is... that's why I got discharged, you know," he said quietly, taking a seat on the chair and running a shaky hand through his hair again. "I... I wasn't doing well." That was putting it mildly and Mac wasn't even sure why he was telling Jack this, but somehow he found himself wanting to tell him everything.

Jack pulled over his chair so it was next to Mac's and sank down into it, left leg angled out slightly like before. "Not doing well how? You said something about a PTSD diagnosis last night, but you kinda don't serve without walking away with one of those."

"It was... worse than that," Mac whispered, his voice starting to tremble along with his hands. "I don't remember much after I went in to... to drag out what was left of Peña. They told me I had a... a mental break. I had to be sedated for like a week, strapped down and everything."

Jack didn't say anything and Mac immediately panicked. "I'm not crazy," he said pleadingly, looking at Jack with wide eyes. "Please, I'm... I'm okay now. Well, maybe not okay, but I'm not gonna- I'm not crazy," he whispered. "I know I joked about it last night, but I'm really not. But apparently that was enough to discharge me, something my father clearly doesn't get." He chuckled bitterly and after hesitating for a second, he reached into a pocket to take out a paperclip. He started bending it and took a shaky breath, not looking at Jack, and said softly, his voice barely audible: "I'm not crazy."

He startled when Jack's hand lands on his knee and squeezed, just like it had to his shoulder back on the horses. "You're not crazy, Mac," he said, his voice little more than a pleasant rumble. "I've... I've been where you are. Losing people I care about, soldiers I've fought with. It's never easy, and your old man clearly never served because he doesn't even come close to getting it." Another squeeze. "Everybody goes through shit differently, man. And if he can't understand that and still wants to play control freak with your life, that's his problem, not yours."

When Mac looked up at Jack he was caught off guard by the gentle expression on his face. He was pretty sure no one had been on a receiving end of that look in a long time and people in town would never believe him if he told them about it - not that he ever would. "Thanks, Jack," he said softly. "I'm... I'm not scared of him, but if he finds me here..." He shuddered a little, unable to stop it. "I don't know what to expect."

"Dependin' on how determined he is he may not come alone, and he might not go quietly," Jack said, and he hadn't moved his hand off Mac's knee. It was a warm, solid weight against the joint and it felt nice... Mac had the fleeting thought that he might like to know where else those hands would feel nice. He shook it off quickly when Jack started speaking again: "He tries to sneak in here we'll know about it. I've got cameras all over the place - saw you comin' last night long before you got to the door."

Mac huffed out a tiny laugh. "That makes sense," he said, shaking his head a little - he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. "I wondered how you managed to sneak up on me after I knocked on the door." He smiled a little. "You were waiting for me."

"It may come as a surprise to you, but I don't like intruders in my property," Jack said dryly, the corner of his mouth twitching up in a smirk. He patted Mac's knee one more time before taking his hand away and grabbing one of the sandwiches. "You said you're a disaster in the kitchen. Am I gonna die if I eat this?"

"My cooking won't kill you, but the rat poison might," Mac deadpanned, and got rewarded with a laugh from Jack. It was a real one, not one of those surprised barks from before, and it lit up his entire face in a way that almost knocked Mac out of his chair. _Fuck_, he was gorgeous, and exactly Mac's type, and this was... not good.

"Well, I'm not choking, so I'll take that as a good sign," Jack said, a warmth appearing in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Because I made sandwiches that are edible?" Mac asked dubiously, raising his eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure anyone could do that, so not much here to be proud of." He leaned against the back of the chair and grabbed a sandwich for himself. "That bar is set pretty low."

"I don't know, I've had some pretty bad sandwiches," Jack said, cracking open one of the sodas Mac put out. "You know the army, they always - "

"Skimp on the mayo," Mac finished, and felt himself grin when Jack did. It was... nice, to have someone who understood what Mac had been through even if he hadn't been there, and suddenly he was incredibly grateful his finger had landed on Dallas on that map.

They age in silence for a while and Mac startled when Indiana's head showed up out of nowhere, resting on his thigh. He was looking up at him with those huge eyes and Mac couldn't help but smile and reached down to scratch him behind the ears. He heard Jack make some kind of sound and when he looked up Jack was watching him curiously. "What?"

"Just... what I said last night," Jack said. "He hates strangers, always growls, bites even... yet he loves you."

Mac bit his lower lip to stop himself from grinning widely and glanced down at the dog again. "Is that why you let me stay?"

"Honestly? That was part of it," Jack admitted. "Dogs are usually pretty good judges of character - at least the ones I had as a kid always were."

"I didn't have any pets growing up," Mac said, scratching behind Indiana's ear. "I wanted a rat for a while, but it... well, my dad didn't want to deal with it."

"Your father sounds more and more delightful," Jack muttered, his voice laced with sarcasm. "For what it's worth, you can play with Indy and cuddle the shit out of him, he'll love that," he added after a moment, and at the same time Indiana licked Mac's hand. "There are also mice in the barn. Haven't seen a rat in a while, but those things were huge, man. Definitely not cute like those pet ones."

"Rats eat just about anything, including other rats," Mac said, finally remembering to eat his sandwich. "They're probably still out there somewhere, they've just figured out how to circumnavigate around you so you don't see them."

"That's... not comforting," Jack said slowly. "Seriously, they were the size of my head. We might get invaded."

"You can always use them for target practice," Mac said jokingly, chuckling when Jack looked like he was actually considering it. "Or we can figure out another way of defending ourselves. I'm sure Indiana Jones would be up for a challenge."

"You'd be surprised," Jack muttered. "But I'm glad a kid like you at least knows classic movies. Even though you've never seen Die Hard."

"I'm not _that_ young," Mac grumbled, shoving a handful of potato chips into his mouth. "If it's such a good movie, maybe we could watch it later?"

Jack's eyes lit up, and he looked practically giddy. "That's a great idea! I haven't gotten to show Die Hard to anybody new since - " He cut off, that light snuffing out as quickly as it had appeared. "It's been a long time."

"Alright, so we have our evening plans covered," Mac said, not wanting to push, even though he was so intrigued it was killing him a little. "How about we get back to the roof now?"

"Sure," Jack immediately agreed, clearly happy about the change of subject. He stood up and Mac forced himself to look at Indiana when the first steps Jack took were a little unsteady before he went back to normal. It was obvious Jack's left leg was injured somehow, but even though Jack was.. nicer now, Mac knew he would probably get shot anyway if he asked about it.

As Mac stepped outside, a flatbed truck pulled up to the gate. It was the guy with the dumpster, and once he was in the driveway and out of the cab he looked all around like he was afraid he was going to get attacked. Once he saw Jack was on the roof he waved hesitantly, and Mac had to stifle a snicker when Jack just looked at him blankly. "Okay, I'll... I'll just unload this then," the guy said nervously, and had the dumpster on the ground in record time. He left just as quickly as he had arrived, and a few minutes later the guy with the building supplies did the same routine.

Once the second guy was gone as well, Mac climbed the ladder to join Jack on the roof. "Would it hurt to smile at them just a little?" he asked, raising his eyebrow, and to his surprise Jack grinned at him.

"Nah, but where would be the fun in that? Besides, I don't want them to suddenly get all friendly with me. I'm repeating myself at this point, but I mean it, kid - I like things just the way they are."

Mac tilted his head at him curiously. "Then why..." He trailed off, chewing on the inside of his cheek, but Jack looked at him expectantly. "Why were you nice to me?"

"I wasn't, if you'll recall," Jack said, sounding amused as he tossed yet another patch of shingles into the dumpster. "But you answered all my questions honestly... and it kinda seemed like you'd been through enough, didn't need any more shit from yours truly." He paused, squinting at the horizon. "I was like you once. I remember how much it sucks."

"I know I said it already, but..." Mac trailed off, wringing his fingers again. "Thank you for letting me stay. It really means a lot."

Jack didn't say anything for a moment, but his eyes were watching Mac's hands. "Careful there, hoss, or you're gonna break your fingers," he said after a minute. "Want a paperclip or somethin'? I saw you play with one earlier."

Mac blinked at him - nobody, not even Bozer, had ever offered him something to occupy his hands. And to further Mac's amazement, Jack slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out a paperclip to give to Mac.

"Thanks," he whispered, taking it and starting to bend it immediately. Jack offered him a smile before he leaned back on the roof to relax, his left leg held out straight in front of his body.

"Are you okay?" Mac blurted out, his eyes widening when he realized what he had just said. Jack turned his head to look at him, the smile gone from his face, and Mac felt his cheeks flush pink... and the sharp look in Jack's eyes didn't make him feel that great. "I'm... I'm sorry. None of my business, sorry."

Jack stares at him for a moment before coming to some kind of decision. He sat up, and for a hysterical moment Mac wondered if he was going to get pushed off the roof - but no, Jack reached for the left leg of his jeans and pushed it up. For a second Mac didn't know what he was seeing, but then it clicked: Jack was wearing a prosthetic leg below the knee. "M'fine," Jack said in that low voice. "Just aches sometimes, that's all."

Mac was speechless and he knew he was staring, but he couldn't help it. For some reason, when he had thought about Jack's leg being injured he hadn't considered this which didn't make any sense, but well. "You're starin' again," Jack commented after a second, and Mac's head snapped up.

"I'm- I'm sorry," he stuttered out. "Just... you caught me off guard."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, most people usually expect a trick knee, not... this." He didn't seem mad, more like... beat down, and that was worse somehow. "Lost it in an explosion in Panama. My whole team of agents got caught in it... I was the only one who made it out." His gaze dropped to Mac's hands where they had stilled with the paperclip in them. "That's what I meant when I said I knew what you were going through. Wasn't just blowing it out my ass."

"I'm-" Mac wanted to apologize again, not sure what for, but he stopped himself, guessing that the last thing Jack needed was to think Mac pitied him. He glanced down at his hands and at the paperclip that now was bent in a shape of Texas. "When... when did it happen?"

"About ten years ago now," Jack said, pulling the leg of his jeans back down. "Sucked too, because I was just thinking about getting outta intelligence work and back into the army... but once you lose a limb that kinda kills any interest from the military." He shrugged his shoulders. "Government gave me a nice pension and paid all my medical bills, so I can't complain."

Mac figured that must have been when Jack had moved back here to the ranch and his heart clenched a little when he realized how lonely Jack must have been for a long time. Then he remembered Jack saying his mom had only moved away about a year ago, so that meant she had been living with him for a while... right? "And you've been here ever since?" he asked, watching Jack carefully for any sign of anger or annoyance.

"Yep," Jack replied, and for all he went on about wanting to be left alone... he seemed to talk to Mac pretty easily. "Whole family was still here to start out, but there were kids, marriages... people move on. Mama needed something easier on her arthritis, and as you've noticed Texas can get pretty cold in winter. Once she left... I don't know, I guess I clammed up even more than I already was."

"You don't like people very much, do you?" Mac asked, shifting closer to Jack and stretching his legs out next to him.

"Not particularly, no," Jack admitted, glancing in the direction of the town. "People are... difficult. Complicated and messy, and annoying as fuck." He smiled a little. "I don't need them to like me, Mac. I just want them to leave me alone."

"Earlier... you said something about not showing Die Hard to anyone in a while," Mac said, hesitating a little when Jack glanced at him. "Who... who were you talking about? The last person you showed it to, I mean?"

"Her name's Riley," Jack replied after a beat of silence. "She was the daughter of this woman I was dating... that didn't end well either. Story of my life."

"I'm sorry," Mac murmured, and he decided not to ask more about it for now. It was clear this was not something Jack liked to talk about and Mac was amazed he had actually managed to get that much out of him, so he didn't want to push his luck. He sat up a little and glanced down - big mistake because he instantly felt dizzy - but he was distracted from that when he saw Indiana sitting down and looking up at them. "I think someone's not happy about being left down there," he commented with a small smile before looking away, not wanting to faint or something.

He must have looked as bad as he felt, because Jack put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "If you get dizzy, just look at the horizon," he murmured, but Mac looked at him instead. That was... well, Mac wouldn't call it a _mistake_, but he could get lost in the dark depths of Jack's eyes. He had long eyelashes too, and these little wrinkles near the outside corners that got deeper when he smiled. Mac's stomach swooped for an entirely different reason from before, and he knew he should say something in response to Jack's advice but nothing was coming out of his mouth.

Jack seemed to notice he was going through some kind of a crisis and gave him time to get it over with. He watched him with a calm expression on his face that would probably turn into a very angry one if Jack had known what exactly Mac was thinking about.

Taking a deep breath, Mac closed his eyes, both because he didn't want to see how far away the ground was and also because he needed to stop looking into Jack's eyes. "I'm... I'm good," he muttered after a moment. "It's fine when I don't think about it."

Jack's hand lingered on his shoulder, which wasn't helping the attraction he was feeling. "Atta boy," he said, squeezing Mac's shoulder again before he let go. Then they got back to stripping the roof, and pretty soon they were throwing tar paper down over the exposed wood. This wasn't a job Mac had done before, but he followed Jack's instructions... and tried not to spend too much time looking at Jack's ass while they were crawling around on the roof.

He was being ridiculous and he knew it, but that didn't mean he could help it and stop admiring Jack from afar. It was pointless because there was no way in hell Jack was anything but straight and even if he wasn't? Mac was a fucked up mess and he was barely keeping himself together, no one would want to deal with that. But Jack had an fantastic ass and as long as he didn't catch him... there was no harm in looking, right?

They finished up with the tar paper before it got dark, and since there was no rain or snow in the forecast they decided to leave it uncovered. Mac went down the ladder first, patting Indiana on the head, and he was turning away from it when he heard Jack swear. He turned back instinctively and grabbed Jack right as he lost his balance on the ladder and fell, but he was heavier than Mac expected and they wound up tumbling to the ground together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ❤️


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! 
> 
> Since yesterday Sammy posted the third chapter of our MerMac fic, today I'm coming to you with the third chapter of the ranch fic! It's a bit shorter, but the next one will be longer and... interesting to make up for it.
> 
> Although things are starting to get interesting in this chapter, so we hope you like it!

Mac landed on his back and the air got knocked out of his lungs because of the fall... but also because Jack landed on top of him and was looking down at him with those gorgeous eyes, their faces only inches apart. "Sorry 'bout that," Jack murmured, and Mac once again couldn't force himself to look away.

"That's... that's fine," he gasped out, his voice breathless. "You alright?"

"Just dandy," Jack replied, his voice gone gravelly. He hadn't made a move to get up yet, which was... odd, but maybe his leg hurt? "Caught my foot on one of the rungs and slipped." His eyes were nearly black in the dusky light, and he was looking at Mac in a way that made his cheeks flush. "Thanks for breaking my fall."

"You didn't give me much of a choice," Mac said, his voice teasing. It was taking all of his willpower not to let his gaze drop to Jack's lips because that would be a terrible idea, so he focused on Jack's eyes... and that wasn't the greatest solution either. If he didn't know any better he would think Jack... but no. That was impossible. "But you're welcome anyway. Glad I could help."

Jack stared at him for another moment before he pushed himself off of Mac and got to his feet. Then he stuck out a hand for Mac to take and helped him up... but didn't let go of his hand right away. "Am I readin' this wrong?" Jack asked, and the look on his face took Mac's breath away again. "Because if I am... you can totally punch me and I won't blame you."

And he knew this was crazy, but Mac couldn't help the way he felt, even though he had only been at the ranch for a day. "N-no," Mac breathed out, his voice shaking just a little. "You're not reading this wrong." Gathering up all of his courage, he stepped closer and leaned in, pressing his lips to Jack's cheek. His stubble was surprisingly soft and Mac let himself linger for a moment before pulling back and squeezing Jack's hand.

Jack blinked in surprise and then smiled, bringing Mac's hand up to kiss the back of it. "That's... good," he whispered, and they went inside. "Why don't you get washed up while I make some dinner, huh?"

"Okay," Mac agreed, reluctantly slipping his fingers free from Jack's and heading into the bathroom.

As soon as he closed the door behind him he leaned against it and rubbed a hand over his face, an almost giddy laugh threatening to erupt from his throat. He grinned so widely his face hurt a little, but he just can't couldn't it. He felt like a teenager with a crush which was _silly_, but... Jack was amazing even though Mac didn't know him that well.

Forcing himself to get a grip, Mac took his clothes off and stepped into the shower, relaxing under the spray of hot water. He made it quick and then he got dressed back in his jeans and the henley, but didn't put on the flak jacket since it was warm in the house. Smiling, he got out of the bathroom and hung the jacket on one of the hooks by the door and then went to the kitchen and sat down by the table. "What are you making?" he asked, watching Jack as he moved around the kitchen with a practiced ease.

"Just throwing together some spaghetti," was Jack's response, chopping some onions while a jar of sauce heated up on the stove along with some water. "You wanna grab a bottle of wine out of the pantry?"

"You drink wine?" Mac asked, a little surprised, but he went to the pantry anyway.

"Yeah, I ain't always sucking down six packs," Jack said dryly, but he wasn't really upset.

Mac bit his lower lip as he set the wine on the table and grabbed the glasses from Jack. "I saw you carrying empty bottles this morning," he admitted hesitantly. "But I didn't want to-"

"Pry, yeah, that's what you keep sayin'," Jack interjected with a smile. "Which is very nice of you, but yet somehow I keep telling you everythin'. How do you do that, hmm?"

"My charming personality?" Mac tried, snorting out a laugh when Jack just raised his eyebrows at him. "Maybe... maybe it's because I'm honest with you? So you want to be honest with me?"

"That seems more likely," Jack said, and then he sighed, stirring the onions into the sauce. "I'll admit, I'm maybe a little too friendly with alcohol. But right now, with you here... I don't want to drink."

Mac's eyes widened a little in surprise and his heart fluttered stupidly. Jack was watching him with a fond look on his face and his eyes were warmer than they had been during the entire day. "We don't have to drink if you don't want to," Mac said, gesturing at the wine. He didn't know if the thing Jack had with the alcohol was serious, but he didn't want him to think Mac wasn't going to be okay with not drinking.

"I don't think one glass will kill me, especially if I'm eating," was Jack's response. So Mac popped open the wine and poured them each a glass as Jack threw the pasta in to cook... and then they wound up staring at each other for a moment. "You know when I first saw you in the light I figured I was dreaming?" Jack said, casual as anything. "Figured there was no way in hell somebody that gorgeous could actually exist, let alone show up on my property."

Mac felt his cheeks burn and he ducked his head, trying not to grin like a lunatic. There was nothing but honesty in Jack's voice and it blew Mac's mind because... people just didn't say things like that to him. "You're one to talk," he said once he felt like his voice wasn't going to crack. "You said you caught me staring at your scars, but... that's not the only reason I was staring." He knew his cheeks got even more pink, but he didn't care. "I've been thinking about how screwed I am all day."

Jack laughed, that full-bodied thing that Mac had found so entrancing earlier. He didn't look up, but he could hear Jack continuing to chuckle while he got out a colander and drained the pasta. "Is that better or worse than thinking about how to _get_ screwed?" he wondered aloud. Mac was afraid his face might actually catch on fire at this point, and he grabbed his wine glass off the table and drank half of it before Jack reached him with the food.

"You're cute when you blush like that," Jack commented with a grin, setting the plates on the table. Mac didn't think he could get any redder than this, but he also couldn't help but smile because... it was hard to believe that Jack was a person that apparently terrified everyone in the town. He was sweet and funny, and Mac couldn't wait to get to know him better, in any way Jack was going to let him.

* * *

They didn't bother with friendly distance when they moved in front of the TV after dinner. Jack sat in the corner and put his arm over the back of the couch in blatant invitation, so Mac sat next to him and cuddled into his side when that arm slipped around his shoulders. _Die Hard_ turned out to be a pretty good movie, and it was nice to see Jack enjoying himself.

By the time the credits rolled Mac felt his eyelids drooping and he had to stifle a yawn. "You know..." Jack started, the rumble of his voice getting Mac's attention. "You don't have to sleep on the couch tonight. If you don't want to, I mean."

Jack smelled like leather and gunpowder, but Mac tried not to get distracted by that and he tilted his head to look at Jack. “You’re suggesting I should go sleep with the horses?” he asked just to be a shit, and he chuckled when Jack huffed, grinning a little. “You wouldn’t mind?” he asked, growing more serious, and Jack just shook his head with a smile. “Okay,” Mac said softly. “But I don’t think Indiana’s going be happy about that since I’m assuming he usually sleeps with you,” he added with a grin, but a second later he furrowed his brow because... he remembered Jack closing his bedroom door last night. So... how had Indiana gotten out to come to him during his nightmare?

Jack must have been able to read what Mac was thinking from his expression, because he sighed. "I heard you havin' your bad dream last night," he admitted, thumb stroking slow circles into Mac's shoulder. "I might've let Indy out so he could check on you... figured you wouldn't have appreciated me doin' it."

Mac didn't know how he would have felt, but it didn't matter now. “He helped a lot,” he said softly, glancing away and cuddling back into Jack’s chest, because if he kept looking at Jack too much he would be too tempted to kiss him and he wanted to do this at Jack’s pace. “Got on the couch and stayed with me... made me wonder if that wasn’t the first time he’s done something like that.”

"It wasn't," Jack replied, and he shifted impossibly closer too, his lips brushing against Mac's hair when he spoke. "I found Indy by the side of the road not long after I came back here - somebody just abandoned him. I take care of him, and he takes care of me." He removed his arm from around Mac and levered himself to his feet, then offered Mac a hand up for the second time this evening. "C'mon, you're beat and so am I. Let's get some shut eye."

Mac grabbed his hand and let Jack pull him up, following when Jack led him to his bedroom. When he turned the lights on Mac saw Indiana was already sprawled on one side of the bed and he didn't even move when they entered the room. "Alright, buddy, hop off," Jack said, walking up to the bed and scratching Indiana behind the ears, and Mac took a moment to glance around.

Jack's bedroom wasn't too big, but it was cozy and... very Jack. Mac wasn't sure how he knew it since he didn't know that much about Jack, but it just fit him. Indiana made a whiny sound, but then Jack tugged him gently and he jumped off the bed, sulking and moving to the dog bed by the wall that looked barely used. "I don't think he likes being replaced by another stray," Mac said softly, because that was exactly what he was - another stray without a home that Jack had decided to take in.

Jack came over and kissed his cheek on his way back to the door. "If you're a stray, you're about the prettiest one I've ever seen." Mac got to flounder at that for a while as Jack walked out and grabbed Mac's bag from the living room, tossing it in a chair in the corner of the bedroom. "You wanna borrow somethin' to sleep in? Yesterday's t-shirt and underwear probably isn't comfortable by now."

"If you don't mind," Mac said softly, smiling when Jack kissed his cheek again.

"I wouldn't have offered if I did, now would I?" Jack murmured, and then headed for the dresser and opened a drawer.

"I guess I should get some clothes," Mac mused, smiling a little when Indiana follows Jack around with his gaze, still looking offended about being exiled.

"If you want you can take my car into town tomorrow," Jack offered, coming back over with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Call somebody from the rental company, they'll come pick up your car so you don't have to keep paying for it."

"That makes sense," Mac commented, and pulled off his shirt. When he pushed his bangs out of his face he noticed Jack staring. "Huh. Guess you can't complain about me staring at you now."

Jack slowly looked him up and down and Mac felt his cheeks flush. “Guess not,” Jack drawled, glancing up to meet Mac’s gaze and smirking. “You mind?”

“N-no,” Mac stuttered out, the way Jack was watching him making his voice shake a little. No one had ever looked at him like that and it made his heart beat faster and his stomach do something funny. “I don’t mind.”

"Good," Jack murmured, but then he blinked, one hand coming up to touch the side of his neck where the scar is. "Maybe I can distract you so you don't scream and run away when you see me naked."

Mac felt his throat tighten and he took a chance without conscious thought, coming a half-step closer and reaching out to cover Jack's hand with his own. "I'm not going to scream and run away, Jack," he whispered. "I think you're gorgeous."

“Mhm, that’s because I have my shirt on,” Jack muttered, but he didn't shake Mac’s hand off. “The leg thing might be the worst part, but that explosion did way more damage.”

“I don’t care,” Mac murmured, suddenly very much aware how close they were standing. Too weak to resist, he let his gaze drop to Jack’s lips for just a second before looking back up. “Whatever scars you have, they’re a part of you. Nothing wrong with that.”

Jack's eyes watched him closely before he nodded once, reaching down to take his shirt off. The scars were... there was a lot of them, thin white lines in some places and big rough chunks of gnarled pink in others... but Jack was also in amazing shape, and when Mac tentatively touched his fingertips to a ropey scar on his chest his skin was soft. "This is just who you are," Mac said quietly, continuing his train of thought. When he glanced up at Jack he found he was already being watched... and then he was being kissed.

Jack's lips were soft and he was kissing Mac so gently, like Mac was something precious and he didn't want to break him. His stubble was scratching his skin a little, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling - in fact, Mac loved it. He pressed both hands against Jack's chest and slowly slid them up, not missing the way Jack shivered under his touch. He wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling Jack even closer and sighing happily when Jack's rough hands settled on his waist.

Mac cupped the back of Jack's neck with one hand, fingers exploring the buzzed-down hair at the back of his head as their mouths parted and met again. He shivered when Jack licked his way into his mouth, the kiss growing slightly more heated but no less sweet.

When they parted Mac was dazed, swaying a little in Jack's hold. "Did that... you felt that, right?" he asked softly, staring into the darkness of Jack's eyes. "I'm not dreaming?"

“The odds of us both having the same dream aren’t that great, so... no, you’re not dreamin’,” Jack murmured, pressing their foreheads together and closing his eyes. “And yeah, I felt that.” He pulled back after a moment, looking at Mac with so much vulnerability in his dark eyes that it took Mac’s breath away. Jack slid his hand up to cup Mac’s cheek, his thumb stroking over his skin. “What are you doing to me?” he asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"I don't know," Mac whispered back, turning his head enough to brush his lips over Jack's wrist. "But you're doing the same thing to me."

He made a surprised sound when Jack leaned in to kiss him again, shorter but still passionate, his other hand squeezing Mac's hip before he pulled back. "We should... we should probably go to bed," Jack said, his voice cracking a little. "Before I do somethin' real stupid."

A part of Mac wanted to ask Jack what he meant by that, wanted to see him do something stupid, but... but he didn't want to rush this and screw it up. Nodding, he leaned in to brush his lips over Jack’s jaw. “Okay,” he said softly, and forced himself to take a tiny step back and grab the t-shirt Jack had put on the mattress for him. He put it on, feeling Jack’s gaze on him, and gave him a smile when their eyes met again.

He glanced away when he dropped his pants to the floor, kicking out of his boots at the same time. He also kept his gaze planted firmly on his own hands while he pulled up his sweatpants, not wanting to make Jack uncomfortable while he finished getting undressed. "You can look, you know," Jack said, and when Mac glanced over he was sitting on the edge of the bed, rolling the leg of the sweatpants up and taking off his prosthetic leg. "I don't mind."

Biting his lower lip, Mac walked up to the bed and sat cross-legged on the mattress next to Jack. “Does it... you said earlier that it hurts sometimes?” he asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice and hoping Jack wouldn't get angry about it. “I’m... I once read an article about phantom pain. Is that... is that it?”

Jack nodded, cuffing the sweatpants right above the end of his knee joint, where the skin had been pulled taut surgically. "Sometimes I get phantom pains, other times it's because of the prosthetic. If I'm wearing the one for walking, say, but I should've picked the one for running, I pay for it later." He must have seen something in Mac's expression because he rolled his eyes. "You can touch it if you want to. Which you very obviously do."

Mac flushed red. “I’m sorry,” he said sheepishly. He couldn't help it, he was a naturally curious person, plus he was intrigued by Jack and wanted to know everything about him.

Slowly, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers against Jack’s skin and the scar he had below his knee. “You don’t have to apologize,” Jack said with a shrug. “You’re curious, it’s normal.”

Mac smiled a little and kept studying Jack’s leg, frowning a little when he saw red abrasion marks. “Is... I don’t think the prosthetic should do that?”

Jack shrugged his shoulders again. "Probably not, but unless you can afford one of the expensive-as-hell custom-made ones, you get stuck with the one-size-fits-all models."

Mac stroked his thumb over the end of Jack's leg, and the longer he spent looking at it, the less foreign it became. "Maybe tomorrow while I'm in town I'll pick up a few things," he mused, and when Jack raised an eyebrow, he explained, "I might be able to make some kind of... cushion for it? So you don't get so much skin irritation from the friction."

"You don't have to do that," Jack said, but Mac could see in his eyes that he was intrigued.

"I want to," he replied with a grin, leaning in to kiss Jack's cheek.

They both moved up the bed and Mac made sure to lie down on the side previously occupied by Indiana, assuming Jack was used to his. Jack put the covers over them and turned off the lights, wrapping his arm around Mac's waist and tugging him closer. "You know," he started, his voice rumbling in Mac's ear. "Everybody in town probably already knows about you. And they all think I must have killed you by now and thrown the bones to Indy."

Mac snorted out a laugh and took the arm around his waist as an invitation to snuggle, slipping his own arm around Jack's middle and resting his head against his shoulder. "Either that or they think you perform blood sacrifices in your backyard and my head is on a pike somewhere." He inhaled Jack's smile and shut his eyes - only to be startled as hell when Indiana jumped on the bed, lying down across their feet. "Guess he really doesn't like the dog bed."

"Oh, come on, you bastard," Jack groaned, his voice slightly strained which meant Indiana had almost given him a heart attack as well. "You have a perfectly nice and cozy bed, you really have to make a crowd here?" He didn't get a reply, obviously, and he sighed deeply. "You'll have to excuse him and the lack of respect for personal space. It's been just the two of us for a while."

Mac chuckled. "Don't worry about it, it's fine." Indiana had a lot of fur and body heat, and in turn he was warming up Mac's feet under the blankets.

He stifled a yawn and closed his eyes again, bracing for another heart attack, but it didn't come. He felt himself fading into sleep and mumbled a "goodnight" to Jack, right before the warmth and the darkness got to him and he drifted into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ❤️


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> As promised, this chapter is longer than the previous one... but it comes with a price. And if you know me and Sammy you also know that we love cliffhangers :)
> 
> But we also love y'all, so we hope you like it!

It felt like barely a few minutes since Mac had closed his eyes when he woke up, sleepy and disoriented. He knew where he was, that wasn't a problem, but it was still dark outside and he wasn't sure what had woken him up. He was about to close his eyes again and snuggle into Jack's chest, but then he felt some shifting and heard a whine from the direction of his feet. Indiana was clearly anxious and Mac frowned because all he heard was silence... until he heard a quiet whimper coming from Jack.

Jack was trembling next to him like he was cold, except the blankets were pulled up to their shoulders and Indiana was steadily crawling closer to both of them. Mac used one hand to pet the dog's head to soothe him, and he brought the other up to touch Jack's cheek, gasping when he realized his skin was wet with tears. "Jack, you need to wake up," he whispered, fingertips stroking his stubble. "You're having a nightmare."

Jack didn't react and whimpered again, and Mac's heart clenched. He reached out to turn the lamp on the nightstand on and sat up a little. "Jack, wake up," he tried again, squeezing Jack's shoulder, and between one blink and another he found himself on his back with Jack straddling him, one hand inching close to Mac's throat.

Before he could do anything more than gasp, Indiana barked and lunged himself on Jack, tackling him of Mac and back on the mattress, and lying on top of him. "Oh, Jesus," Jack gasped out, horror at what he had almost done evident in his voice. He buried his hands and face in Indiana's soft fur, hugging him close and shaking harder.

Once Mac started breathing normally again - having Jack throw himself on top of him like that was a little scary - he scooted closer to Jack and got his arms around him and the dog, resting his cheek on top of Jack's head. "It's okay, Jack. You're okay."

Jack just shook his head and made a wounded sound, muffled by Indiana's fur. Mac didn't let go and rubbed Jack's arm up and down with his hand, still a little amazed by the dog's behavior and how he just sat still, offering silent comfort.

He wasn't sure how long they had been sitting like that, but eventually Jack stopped shaking so violently, although he kept hiding his face in Indiana's fur. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Mac said again, giving Jack what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze and kissing his temple. He had never been this affectionate with someone before, but Jack didn't seem to mind so he was going to keep it up. "You were having an awful dream, just like I did last night. Plus you aren't used to having someone else in bed with you - your reaction is completely understandable."

“I could’ve hurt you,” Jack said, guilt lacing his voice. “I could’ve really hurt you, I’m-“

“But you didn’t,” Mac interjected, hugging Jack and the dog even closer. “You didn’t, everything’s fine.”

"Yeah, only thanks to Indy,” Jack whispered, letting out a bitter chuckle. “If he didn’t -“

"Jack, I'm capable of defending myself," Mac said, interrupting again. "I wasn't going to let you choke me... at least not under these circumstances." He paused, eyes going wide when he realized what he had just said. "Uh... you can ignore that last part if you want to, I don't know where that came from."

Jack let out a surprised huff and slowly raised his head, watching Mac with wide, red-rimmed eyes. "I'm... I don't wanna ignore it," he said quietly, his voice hoarse. "More like... file away for later? That is, if I didn't scare you away and made you leave."

Mac leaned in just as slowly, pressing his lips to Jack's cheek before nuzzling his skin. "You didn't scare me away," he murmured, and when Jack made a noise that was almost a sob Mac just held him closer, nosing at his temple and waiting for him to calm down again. "I wouldn't lie to you and tell you it was okay when it wasn't, Jack."

"Okay," Jack whispered before pulling back a little and scratching Indiana behind his ears. "Thanks, buddy," he murmured, smiling a little when Indiana licked his hand. He patted his hand and then watched the dogs shift a little and move back to his previous spot by their feet. "It's... it's still dark outside," he said, turning back to Mac. "You want to get more sleep?"

"Only if that's what you want," Mac told him, shifting so he could massage the back of Jack's neck lightly. "We could also... talk, if that would help? Or not, it's up to you."

"I like the sound of your voice," Jack said softly, and that was... surprising, but Jack was entitled to his opinion. "Could you... could you maybe talk about something? It doesn't really matter what."

"Yeah, sure," Mac murmured, and made himself comfortable. "Hmm, let's see. I didn't enlist straight out of high school. I actually graduated early and went off to college first. MIT, that was a fun time... although if you asked Bozer he would tell you it was the most boring time of my life." He chuckled a little. "See, I wasn't a big fan of partying, so that immediately qualifies my college experience as a failure to Bozer, but I wouldn't say it was boring. The amount of things I blew up kinda says otherwise."

Jack laughed roughly and pushed his face into Mac's neck. "Do you always make a habit of blowing things up, or does it just happen naturally?"

"Well, I also blew up the football field at my high school," Mac offered, "Plus a lot of stuff at home. I don't know... naturally, I guess?"

"Oh, the football field wouldn't have gone over well with me," Jack said, his lips moving against Mac's skin. "I was the quarterback of my high school football team."

"Of course you were," Mac murmured fondly, easily imagining Jack as a star of his football team.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, and Mac felt him smile against his skin.

"Nothing. You may be kinda grumpy now, but I can see you as this popular kid in high school that everyone worships. Let me guess, you dated the lead cheerleader as well?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, then he mumbled, "Maybe." He pinched Mac's side when he snickered. "Hey, she was a real babe! Blond hair, blue eyes, ridiculous body..." He paused. "I may have a type. Although you're clearly a genius, and Cindy... was not. God bless her, she was a great cheerleader, but there wasn't much going on up top."

Mac chuckled again, smiling widely. He blushed a little at the genius comment, but at this point he had stopped caring - Jack seemed to have this weird skill of making Mac blush _so_ easily. "How did that even work?" he asked. "I can tell you're a smart guy, what did you two even talk about?"

It was Jack's turn to blush, his face heating up against Mac's neck. "We, uh, we didn't do much talking," he said, and it took Mac a second to work out what he meant.

When he did he blushed too, clearing his throat. "Oh, well... that makes sense, I guess. My high school experience... wasn't like that."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that," Jack muttered, and Mac shivered when he felt Jack's lips press a kiss to his jaw. "What was it like?"

"Studying, chess club, science experiments..." Mac trailed off, biting his lower lip. "And getting pushed into the lockers and thrown into the dumpster by guys like you. Popular football players, I mean."

Jack tensed a little. "Seriously? Jesus, kids at that age are such asshats." His arm was around Mac's waist, and one of those big hands had found its way under the hem of Mac's shirt. His thumb was skimming back and forth across Mac's hipbone, and that little touch made goosebumps break out on Mac's skin. "So no girlfriends? Or boyfriends?"

"No, nothing like that," Mac said softly, doing his best not to tense. "Not in high school anyway." Jack made a questioning sound and Mac hoped it wasn't too obvious that he was nervous about... something. "I briefly dated this one girl in college, but that didn't last for a very long time. And then I enlisted and well, the army and dating don't really mix well."

And Jack _was_ smart, just as smart as Mac had said he was, because he went still and sat up a little. "Wait... are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If you think I'm saying that I've never done... anything, then yeah," Mac said, quiet and oddly ashamed even though he had no reason to be. "I'm sorry, that's probably... not what you were expecting. Especially after the choking comment."

"Hey now, you don't need to apologize," Jack said softly, but Mac still refused to meet his gaze, too afraid of what he might see in those gorgeous eyes. "That's completely fine, you did nothin' wrong," he added, but then he moved his hand away from Mac's hip and rested it on his ribs, over the t-shirt. "What about... kissing? Was that your..." He trailed off and didn't finish the sentence, but Mac knew exactly what he was asking about.

"No," Mac whispered, and cleared his throat when his voice cracked. "No, I've done that before, it just never... went anywhere. And not with a guy." Even though Jack was trying to reassure him to the contrary, Mac felt like he did something wrong, like he should have just kept his mouth shut. "I... I get it if that's a turn-off for you. I can..." He felt his throat burn. "I can go back to the couch if you want."

Even though Mac didn't move, not yet, Jack's arm tightened around him like he was trying to stop him from leaving. "No, no, I don't want that," he said quietly, his voice firm. "Hey, look at me?" he asked, but when Mac didn't, he slid his hand up from his ribs to gently touch Mac's chin and make him turn his head. "It's not a turn-off, Mac, I don't mind," he said softly, and Mac saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes. "Did it catch me off guard? Sure. But it's okay, I promise." The expression on his face grew more serious. "I just need you to know that there's no pressure here, alright? We don't have to do anything." Mac swallowed hard because that was a sweet thing to say, but he remembered how Jack had looked at him earlier and he knew he must have had some kind of expectations and was probably looking forward to having sex.

It was like Jack could read his mind - or more likely his face - because he leaned in to kiss Mac on the mouth. "You're absolutely stunning, and I'd like nothing more than to keep you in this bed for as long as possible," he murmured, voice rumbling into Mac's body. "But anything we do or don't do is up to you, understand? If all you wanna do is kiss me, I'll be a lucky son of a bitch."

Mac still had some trouble believing this, but Jack sounded so sure and so honest... but a part of Mac was still expecting a "but" coming. But nothing like that happened and Jack kept looking at him with a warm gaze, so Mac nodded, giving him a small smile. "Okay," he whispered, sliding his hands up to frame Jack's face and pull him down for another kiss. "I'm... thank you, I guess. For being so... understanding."

"You don't need to thank me, darlin'," Jack whispered, and Mac felt warm when he heard that endearment. "But you're welcome anyway." And Mac couldn't let him move away after that, so he kept his hands where they were and pressed their lips together again. He shivered when Jack nipped his lower lip gently, leaning his weight on his forearm and deepening the kiss.

Even though Jack wasn't the first person Mac had kissed, it had definitely never felt like this before. Jack's tongue was lazily exploring Mac's mouth, his entire body moving, engaged in the kiss, and he was slowly stroking Mac's side with one hand, making Mac feel like he was on fire. He slid his hands to grip Jack's shoulders and tug him until he was directly on top of him, his weight pinning Mac down to the mattress in the best way. He moved his hands to Jack's back, slowly running them up and down, and he got completely lost in the kiss... but then they both froze when they heard a deep sigh coming from the foot of the bed.

Jack broke the kiss and twisted around to look at Indiana, who they both had managed to forget about. "Really, bud? Is it that hard to be you?"

"It might be when we're making out in the same bed as him," Mac pointed out, acutely aware of every place he and Jack were pressed together.

"Well, you've got your own bed," Jack told the dog, like he fully expected Indiana to respond. "And if you don't like it, the door's open."

Indiana blinked at him, but other than that he didn't move and Jack just shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said, and leaned back down to kiss Mac again, a little harder than before. His tongue slipped into Mac's mouth immediately and Mac accepted it happily, unconsciously spreading his legs so that Jack could settle between them. It felt amazing, but then Jack broke the kiss and started mouthing on Mac's jaw, and Mac couldn't hold back a moan when Jack's teeth scraped over his throat.

He tilted his head back and turned it a little to give Jack more access... and saw Indiana watching them with dark eyes, his muzzle between his paws. "Jack," Mac breathed out. "He's staring at me."

Jack sighed the sigh of the long-suffering. "Indy, stop being creepy," he said, but all he got was a whine in response. So Jack pushed himself off of Mac and put his leg back on, then swung himself out of bed and picked Indiana up - which was hilarious since he was so big - and stuck him out in the hall, closing the door. "That fucking dog, I swear," he mumbled, crawling back on the bed and shedding his leg as he went. "Now, where were we?"

He got back on top of Mac and the look in his dark eyes made a shiver run down Mac's spine. He wrapped his arms around his back again, sighing when Jack presses his lips to his jaw again and then moved lower, nipping on the side of his neck. Now _this_ was new because while Mac had kissed other people before he had never really made out with anyone, and he was barely stopping himself from moaning again, not wanting to do anything wrong.

"Don't keep quiet on my account, darlin'," Jack mumbled, leaving a bruise over Mac's thumping pulse, one of his big hands squeezing Mac's hip again. "You can be as loud as you want - there's nobody around to hear you." He paused. "I just realized that could sound like I'm planning on murdering you and giving your bones to the dog, like I said earlier. I'm not."

Mac let out a breathless laugh. "Good to know," he said, moaning softly when Jack bit him on the neck a bit harder. His fingers dug into Jack back and then he slid his hand lower... and he gathered all of his courage and slipped them under Jack's shirt. He started exploring Jack's skin, flattening his hands on his back, and he smiled when he felt Jack shudder a little. He turned his head a little and found Jack's lips, but this time the kiss was more hungry than before and Mac startled a little when he shifted and felt Jack's half-hard against his hip.

It didn't feel all that different from when Mac got hard himself - which he was right now - and it was amazing to think that it was _Mac_ who was making Jack aroused like that. He groaned into Jack's mouth and kissed him harder... and got even bolder, letting one of his hands drift down to Jack's ass and smiling when that touch made Jack swear under his breath, hips twitching forward involuntarily.

It made both of them groan, pleasure spiking down Mac's spine, and his heart was beating so fast he thought it might jump out of his chest soon. Jack's hips rolled down again, grinding them together before he stilled and pulled back to look down at Mac with eyes much darker than before. "You doin' okay, baby?" he asked, his voice low, and Mac shivered when Jack's hand slipped under his t-shirt to rest right above his hip.

Mac nodded, swallowing hard and dropping both hands to Jack's ass. "Yeah, I'm... good, I think," he whispered, shivering again when Jack leaned down to kiss the corner of his mouth. "What, um... what now?"

"I can think of somethin'," Jack rumbled against his throat, and that hand on his skin slipped lower, fingers going under Mac's waistband to wrap around his cock.

Mac inhaled sharply, his fingers digging into Jack’s ass. “Oh god,” he whimpered when Jack started to stroke him slowly, mouthing at his jaw.

“That alright?” he murmured into Mac’s ear, and Mac just nodded frantically, unable to form any words and moaning when Jack gripped his cock a bit tighter and gave him a former stroke.

It felt amazing, so much better than his own hand, and Jack learned quickly what made Mac writhe and pant underneath him. "So beautiful," Jack mumbled next to his ear, kissing whatever skin he can reach as he pumped Mac slowly but in a tight grip that drove him insane. "Feel good?"

"Mhmm." Mac managed to get out his assent and canted his hips into Jack's next stroke, whining when he ran his thumb over the top. "Oh, _Jack_."

"Fuck," Jack mumbled, groaning into Mac's ear, and it took Mac's clouded brain a second to realize that was Jack's reaction to Mac moaning his name. He moved his hands up from Jack's ass to wrap his arms tightly around him and pull him closer, whimpering when Jack started stroking him a bit faster.

"Jack, Jack," he moaned when the familiar feeling coiled low in his stomach, and Jack nipped on his earlobe in response and used his free hand to push Mac's sweatpants lower and tug his t-shirt up, sliding lower to suck on one of his nipples.

That was it for Mac's brain, because it just shut down as he started to come, nails scrabbling at Jack's lower back as he arched off the bed. It was the best orgasm he had ever had, no contest, and it felt like it went on forever, waves of heat rushing through his body. Jack kept pumping him slowly until Mac whined from oversensitivity, and then he kissed a path up Mac's body until he reached his mouth.

As soon as Mac was able to get his hands to work again he scrabbled at the front of Jack's sweatpants, pushing them down until he could tentatively wrap his fingers around Jack's cock. It was _big_ and suddenly there was this hysterical thought in Mac's head about how it would feel to have Jack fuck him, but he quickly pushed it away. Other than a weird angle, it was not that different than holding himself, but before Mac could give Jack an experimental stroke, Jack's fingers wrapped around his wrist. "You don't have to," Jack murmured against his lips, and Mac's heart beat a little faster.

"I want to," he whispered, nuzzling Jack's cheek. "Just... tell me if I do something wrong?"

He felt Jack smile. "Not much you can do wrong here, baby." Those endearments _did_ something to Mac, and he shuddered as he firmed up his grip and gave Jack some slow, cautious strokes. He must have been doing something right, because Jack's forehead dropped to rest on his shoulder, little sounds leaving his lips as Mac picked up the pace. His hips were twitching into Mac's grip, grinding forward like they would have if he had - _no_, Mac needed to stop thinking about that right now. Maybe... maybe that was something to keep in mind for a later date, though.

"Fuck, baby, that's it," Jack groaned when Mac twisted his wrist and ran his thumb over the head of his cock. "Feels so good." Shuddering, Mac stroked him faster, running his hand up and down his back, feeling the scars he had there with his fingertips. He couldn't believe he was the one making Jack groan and pant like this, it felt surreal, and he didn't know how he knew, but he could tell when Jack was close. Turning his head, he nipped on his earlobe and stroked him faster and it only took a moment longer for Jack to come with a loud groan, his hips twitching erratically as he bit down on Mac's shoulder.

Mac let go of his cock once Jack stilled and collapsed on top of him, and he stares at the ceiling, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. "Wow," he breathed out. "That was... amazing."

Jack chuckled against his shoulder and then lifted his head, kissing Mac's cheek, and he looked like he was about to say something... but then a pitiful whine sounded from behind the door.

Their eyes met for a moment before Jack groaned theatrically and rolls his eyes. "Jesus Christ, this dog," he said, pulling his shirt off so they had something to wipe their hands on. He tossed it into a laundry basket in the corner and then put his leg on, getting up and opening the door. Indiana came bounding into the room like he hadn't seen them in ten years, and Mac lost what little air was in his lungs when the dog jumped on him to lick his face with reckless abandon.

Mac laughed loudly and tried to push him away, but he didn't really succeed. Indiana stopped licking him, but instead of leaving he just sprawled himself on top of Mac. “Yeah, buddy, I’m happy to see you too,” Jack said sarcastically, and Mac chuckled when he realized Indiana had ignored Jack completely in favor of Mac. Jack got back on the bed and put the leg away, and then he tried to pull Mac closer, but Indiana just whined and playfully nipped at Jack’s hand. “Seriously?” Jack raised his eyebrows. “Can’t we share him?”

Indiana grunted and it sounded surprisingly human, but he shifted enough that Jack could get his arms around Mac and press a kiss to his temple. "You're really amazing," Jack murmured, his thumb stroking along the jut of Mac's collarbone. "Thanks for putting up with him... and with me."

"You make it sound like such a hardship," Mac said teasingly, smiling when Jack leaned in to press their lips together in a short, sweet kiss. "I'm... there's nowhere else I'd rather be, Jack. I mean it."

He really did - it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go, but even if he did... he wouldn't want to leave.

Jack smiled and kissed him again, and they stayed like that for a while, exchanging soft kisses with the dog pressed closely, and it was.. perfect. "It's already bright outside," Jack murmured. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Whatever you make will be fine," Mac said with a grin. "I'm assuming you don't wanna go to the town with me?" Jack shook his head, just like Mac had thought he would. "Will you at least tell me where to go?"

Jack grinned at him, sudden and gorgeous. "What, I can't just let you fend for yourself?" Mac punched him lightly in the chest and they got up and got dressed, with Jack tossing him clothes to borrow until he bought his own. "There's a Walmart in town, best place to get clothes," he told Mac as they walked out to the kitchen, Indiana trailing at their heels. "Big sign, can't miss it. For food I'd steer clear of there and go to the general store... although I'll warn you, Marge is usually behind the counter and she's a huge gossip."

Mac was listening, but he was also sending Bozer a good morning text and looking up the number of his rental car company so he could get rid of it. "Okay, and what do I say when she inevitably asks me about the giant hickeys you left on my neck?"

Jack stilled where he was leaning into the fridge, but just for a second and then he set eggs on the counter. "Whatever you want, I guess," he said with a shrug, but Mac didn't miss how tense his shoulders were. "But if you say it was me, she won't believe you. Or maybe she'll think I'm letting you stay here in exchange for sex."

Mac's eyes widened a little and he chewed on his lower lip. "Look, I don't need to tell her anything," he said softly, and it must have been the right thing to say because Jack relaxed a little. "If I wear my flak jacket it should cover my neck."

Jack shot him a grateful glance and Mac had the passing thought that maybe Jack cared more about what the townspeople thought of him than he was letting on, to Mac and to himself. He was cracking eggs into a pan and throwing sausages into another one, and when he looked at Mac again it was with curiosity. "Can you stick bread into a toaster, or will you burn the house down?"

"I think I can handle that," Mac replied, and he felt himself grin. He grabbed the bread and headed for the toaster, his grin widening when he turned it on and it didn't blow up. "See? Maybe I'm not entirely hopeless."

"Maybe," Jack said, leaning in when Mac passed him and pecking his cheek. "Remember, I'm just relying on what you told me. I've never actually seen you cook."

"Trust me, you don't want to," Mac said, cringing when he remembered several incidents where his own kitchen had gotten scorched by flames. "Bozer keeps, like, seven fire extinguishers in the house. They're all because of me."

Jack let out a surprised laugh and kept cooking, managing both pans with ease and sprinkling cheese in with the eggs once he scrambled them. Mac got out butter and jam for the toast, and soon they had a full breakfast complete with coffee.

They set everything on the table and sat down, and Mac couldn't hold back the grin when Jack hooked his right feet over Mac’s. “You should take the truck that you saw in the garage,” Jack mused, shoving a fork into his mouth. “Because if you take the GTO - that's the babe you parked next to, ain’t she pretty - if you take it everyone in town will think _you_ murdered _me_.” When Mac frowned, Jack grinned. “Everybody knows no one’s allowed to drive my baby except for me.”

"These people in town have pretty dark minds," Mac commented, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth. They were delicious, and he told Jack as much, adding, "I can take the truck, no problem. I may stop at the building supply place and get some power tools - which are something I know how to use, unlike kitchen appliances."

“Sounds good,” Jack said. “Think about what you want for dinner and get whatever you need from the store and I’ll make it.”

“Oh, yeah? Are you some kind of a cooking wizard?” Mac teased, smiling when Indiana sat by his side, watching the sausages with huge eyes.

“Maybe not a wizard," Jack said with a shrug. "But I've been living alone long enough to learn some things."

"Clearly one of them isn't how to control your dog," Mac commented, raising an eyebrow when Indiana put his head in his lap and looked up at him with huge, sad eyes. "Should I - "

"Yeah, yeah, give him one," Jack grumbled, shoving his own sausage in his mouth and glaring down at Indiana with mock-disdain. Mac gave Indiana a sausage and he took it with an incredibly delicate bite, flouncing off to sit on the couch and eat his prize.

“The couch, seriously?” Jack lamented. “You’re a dog, can’t you sit on the floor?” Indiana ignored him and Mac laughed loudly, rubbing his foot up Jack’s calf when Jack glared at the dog.

“You two are adorable,” he said with a grin.

"You won't think he's adorable when he takes a dump in your shoe," Jack muttered, which only made Mac laugh harder.

They cleaned up the breakfast plates and Mac grabbed his flak jacket, but Jack stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Here, wear this instead, it's warmer," he said, and handed Mac a leather jacket. It looked kind of like the one Jack wore while they were working, broken in and well-loved, and when Mac slid it on it smelled just like Jack did.

"Thanks," he said softly, smiling when Jack wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer.

"You look nice in it," he murmured, leaning in to press their lips together. He pulled back a moment later and grabbed the car keys from the shelf by the door, handing them to Mac. "Come on, I'll walk you out and open the gate for you."

They held hands on the way to the garage, and Mac admired the GTO, but decided not driving it was for the best - with his luck he would probably crash it into a tree or something. He whistled when he saw the truck Jack had mentioned, an old Ford that looked shiny and clean. "I think I might like this more," he commented, running a hand over the side of the truck bed. "This must be what, a 1965?"

"Good eye," Jack said, and they both got inside. "Give me a ride to the gate and then I'll walk back. Just don't run Indy over," he added with a grin, and Mac rolled his eyes. He drove out of the garage and Jack hopped out when they got to the gate and opened it, leaning against the truck when Mac stopped outside and rolled down the window. "You're gonna be the biggest attraction this town has seen in a while," he said. "Just ignore them if they say something annoying, that's what I do."

Mac smiled and pressed a kiss to Jack's lips. "Duly noted."

He raised an eyebrow when Jack handed him a wad of money. "For food," Jack explained. "If you just got discharged they probably haven't dumped your pay into your account yet, and you also might not wanna use an ATM in case your old man is tracking it."

"Good point," Mac said, pocketing the cash. "I'll see you in a while, okay?" Jack nodded and stepped back, and Mac drove away with more reluctance than he had expected. He shook his head with a chuckle because he was being ridiculous - he was going to be back before he knew it.

Now that it wasn't completely dark Mac drove a little slower and looked around, admiring how gorgeous the view was. He had always thought of himself as a city guy, but even though he had been here for barely two days, he already knew he would have to reconsider. He decided to stop at Walmart first and he located it easily, just like Jack had said he would have. He killed the engine and got out of the truck... and he saw a couple in the parking lot look at him curiously before hurrying away when they realized Mac had spotted them.

This trend continued when he walked into the Walmart. The greeter stared at him open mouthed without saying a word, and Mac headed to the men's section feeling a little bit like a fish out of water. He picked out some jeans and khakis in his sizes, along with flannel shirts and a couple of winter coats. Gloves and a hat completed the ensemble, and Mac elected to use the self-checkout instead of getting gaped at again. He loaded everything into the truck and drove back to the little downtown, parking on the side of the road and walking into the general store.

He glanced toward the counter and saw a woman probably in her fifties, and somehow he already knew it had to be Marge. She was reading a magazine, but looked up when she heard the door open and her eyes immediately widened. Mac refrained from rolling his and started walking behind the aisles, trying to think of something for dinner. He also wondered what exactly surprised people the most about him - that he had survived two nights at the Dalton ranch, that he was driving Jack's truck, or maybe something else.

Marge was craning her neck to look out the window, and her eyes got even bigger when she saw Jack's truck outside. She didn't say anything, but Mac could feel her gaze on him like a brand - and if he wasn't mistaken it dropped to his ass more than once. He started grabbing food, an idea coming to mind for dinner, and he picked up some other essentials, including more beer. Once he brought everything to the counter, Marge greeted him with a huge sunny smile. "Well look at you, sugar! Just as handsome as Katie said."

"Thanks... I guess?" Mac said, forcing himself to give Marge a friendly smile. Unfortunately, instead of looking at the stuff he had brought to the counter and doing her job, Marge leaned against it, eyeing Mac curiously.

"Such a gorgeous smile, oh my," she cooed. "Tell me, sugar, just visitin'? Or you plannin' on stayin' longer?" she asked, propping her chin on his hand. "Katie seemed very interested in that, I think she's got her eye on you."

Mac swallowed hard and felt himself flush. "That's... uh, very flattering," he said, choosing his next words carefully. "And I'm planning on sticking around for a while. I'm actually working out over at the Dalton place - we just started replacing the roof on the house."

Marge's mouth dropped open, but she recovered quicker than most: "You... really? Jack Dalton isn't known to be the... friendly sort."

"I'm just happy to have a place to stay, that's all," Mac said with a shrug, making it vague on purpose. He knew that any detail he revealed would reach every person in town, so he played it safe - like the roof since he was sure Marge had already known about it from the dumpster guy (Dumpster Bob, Jack had called him) or the guy who had delivered the materials.

"I'm sure we could find you a better place to stay, dear," Marge said, making a face. "You shouldn't have to put up with Dalton, that man's a menace. Rumor has it..." She leaned closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. "That even his own mother couldn't stand being around him, so she moved away."

Anger flared hot in Mac's chest, but he knew if he was rude to Marge it was not going to win him any points in town, and right now he could use all the friends he could get. "He's not so bad," he said, shrugging a little. "Besides, his dog's a real sweetheart."

To his surprise, Marge's gaze softened when he mentioned Indiana. "I've seen that pup sitting in Dalton's car when he comes in for supplies - he _is_ awfully cute." And thankfully she started scanning his items, and Mac liked her a little more now that he knew she liked animals.

He paid once she was done and she smiled. "Well, your first grocery shopping is officially done. Welcome to the town."

Mac found himself smiling back and grabbed the bags from the counter. "Thanks," he said, and then made a show of glancing at Marge's nametag, not wanting to reveal that he had known her name earlier. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you more often, Marge," he added with a wink, and walked out of the store, heading for the truck.

He packed the groceries in with the bags from Walmart and didn't bother to move the truck since the building supply store was right across the street. Movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye - a black SUV rolling slowly down a nearby cross street. It could be nothing... but it made Mac's spine stiffen all the same. He went into the building supply store and grabbed a cart, heading for the power tool aisle and resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder.

He quickly found all the tools he needed and headed for the register, suddenly having a bad feeling about this. He felt it deep in his gut and it was almost like approaching an unstable IED - something was off. The guy at the register eyed him curiously, but didn't say anything and Mac only smiled at him before grabbing the tools and leaving.

The SUV was gone when he looked around, but somehow it didn't make him feel much better, so he quickly put the bags in the truck, and he was about to get inside when a voice sounding right behind him made him freeze: "Hello, Angus."

He turned to face his father, and as he did he felt something hard and sharp press against his side. For a second he thought it was a knife, but no - there was an instant of agony as James tased him, electricity crackling through his body. Mac's knees went weak and his eyes rolled back in his head but he didn't pass out, because either the current wasn't strong enough or James hadn't placed it correctly. Either way, he had a short window to act, so he did, grabbing his father's extended arm and twisting hard, making him swear in pain and drop the taser. Then Mac shoved him as hard as he could, making James stumble backward as Mac climbed into the truck and locked the doors, trembling hand sticking the key in the ignition and trying to get the truck to start.

His vision was blurring with tears and he felt dizzy from the taser, but he needed to get out of there. He managed to start the truck just as James appeared by the window and tried to open the door. It didn't budge and Mac put the car in reverse, pulling out from the parking lot in a move that would make racer guys proud. Not looking back, he shifted the gear and stepped on the gas pedal, speeding away from the store in the direction of Jack's ranch. He didn't bother stifling a sob as tears rolled down his cheeks and he gripped the steering wheel tightly, blinking rapidly and forcing himself to focus on the road, hoping he got to Jack before he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ❤️


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doom, doom, doom, doom...
> 
> Hello! I didn't want to keep you waiting too long after the cliffhanger in the previous chapter, so here we go again!

Jack leaned against the porch post and looked at his watch, frowning when he saw the time. He knew exactly how long it took to drive to town and back, and he could guess how much time Mac would have spent in each store... and something wasn't right. He glanced down at Indiana, who looked up and whined. "Me too, buddy," he said, patting him on the head... and reaching to the back of his waistband for his handgun, checking the load. Just in case.

The familiar rumble of his truck made him look up and sure enough, he saw it coming down the road. It was... going fast, faster than Jack had expected, but he figured that maybe Mac was just in a rush to get home. He watched Mac take a sharp turn into the gate that Jack had left open for him, but then he slowed down about halfway between the gate and the house. Frowning, he stepped down from the porch... and then his heart dropped when Mac stumbled out of the truck and fell down to his knees.

Jack moved fast enough that he was going to regret it later, but he didn't care, dropping to his knees in front of Mac and grabbing his shoulders. "Hey, Mac, what's wrong? Talk to me, man." He was pale and shaky, tear tracks on his cheeks, and his hands came up to twist in Jack's jacket as his trembling got more intense.

"M-My dad i-is here," he said, and Jack felt himself blanch. "He t-tased me b-but I... got away." His breathing was labored, and his eyelids fluttered alarmingly. "Jack, p-please... please don't let him take me."

"Shh, shh, I got you, you're not goin' anywhere," Jack murmured, wrapping his arms around Mac, and breathing deeply a few times to calm himself. It was hard because apparently Mac's asshole father hadn't just come here to try and convince him to go with him, he was actually planning to take him against his will and that was way too fucked up. Indiana was right there with them, whining and sniffing Mac anxiously, and Jack was about to get up to drag Mac inside when he heard a rumble of another car. He looked up just in time to see a black SUV pull up by the gate and stop there.

Jack looked at Indiana and pointed at Mac. "You stay with him, okay? Protect." And Indy did as he was told, standing next to Mac when Jack settled him so he was leaning against the truck's front tire. Then Jack pushed himself to his feet and pulled out his gun, pointing it squarely at the man that got out from behind the wheel of the SUV. "You need to get back in that fancy car and start driving, hoss. I'm not responsible for what happens to you if you don't."

The man walked up closer, clearly ignoring Jack's warning, and now Jack could see the resemblance between Mac and his father... but Mac's eyes were never this cold. "My name's James MacGyver," the man said, stopping a few feet away from Jack and looking him up and down. "And I need to talk to my son."

"Really?" Jack asked, letting some of his wry drawl creep into his voice to mask the rage he was feeling. His aim didn't waiver - center mass, but he would try to wound if he had to fire, not kill. "You've got a funny way of showing it. Awfully hard to talk to somebody when you tase them, although from what I saw you didn't do a very good job."

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, now that my original plan hasn't worked, I need to talk some sense into him." He shifted a little, glancing behind Jack, and the look on his face was definitely not a look that a father should have while looking at his son. "Angus, I wanted to ask you if you finally got your shit together, but I can see this is not the case," he said, his voice sounding bored. "Don't be ridiculous, son."

"Fuck you, Dad," was Mac's eloquent response, and Jack had to stifle a snort at the righteous indignance that twisted James's expression.

"Looks like we're at an impasse," he said to Mac's father, staring him dead in the eyes. "Clearly your kid doesn't want anything to do with you. If you don't take no for an answer, I'm legally allowed to shoot you - the great state of Texas has an even greater stand your ground law, especially when it comes to protecting your own home."

"Clearly my _kid_ has lost his mind," James said lowly. "How can you do this, Angus? Throw away your life for... what, living in the middle of nowhere?" He gestured around and shook his head. "I can't believe you're this weak," he muttered, and it was taking all of Jack's self-control to stay still and calm. Apparently Indiana didn't have the same reservations because judging by the steady low growling coming from behind Jack that was getting louder, he was slowly walking up closer to them. Snorting, James turned his gaze back to Jack, a cold smirk showing up on his face. "I'm surprised you care, Dalton."

Jack stilled completely. "I'd ask how you know my name, but I'm guessing you have your sources."

"You'd guess correctly," James retorted, leaning against the gate post and making Jack wonder if Mac would mind electrifying his fence. "Matilda Webber had some less than kind things to say about you. I think she was only as gentle as she was because of your... handicap."

"Easy, boy," Jack murmured to Indiana, then said in a louder voice to James, "Leave. Now. Last chance or I put a bullet in you."

"This isn't over," James said calmly while Jack wondered what exactly Matty had told him - he had thought they had parted on relatively good terms, but it looked like he had been mistaken. "I put too much work in you and I'm gonna get you home, one way or another." With that he got back into the SUV, but Jack kept his gun trained on the car until he heard the engine rumble and James drove away.

As soon as he was sure James was gone he holstered his gun and dropped down next to Mac again, gripping him under the shoulders and lifting him to his feet, letting his weight rest against the side of the truck. "Hey, hey, are you okay?" he said softly, bringing both hands up to frame Mac's face. "Darlin', talk to me, please?"

Mac's eyes were glassy and Jack knew he would have dropped down if he wasn't holding him up. "N-not really," Mac whispered, and Jack didn't like how labored his breathing still was. "He's... gone?"

"Yeah, baby, he's gone," Jack murmured, and suddenly he realized Indiana wasn't next to him like he had expected him to be. When he looked around his heart swelled when he saw Indy sitting straight a few away from them, his eyes fixed on the road - he was keeping watch.

Jack loved that dog more than he would ever admit, and he slung Mac's arm over his shoulders and helped him inside. He got him situated on the couch and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I'll be right back, okay? Gotta take care of a couple things." He went outside and started hauling in the groceries and other items from the truck, then moved the truck so that it was a barrier between the gate and the house in case somebody decided to ram it. He whistled for Indiana and got him inside before shutting and locking the door, making sure his shotgun was nearby. Then he dropped on the couch next to Mac and touched his cheek. "What can I do, Mac? What do you need?"

Mac was staring ahead, his arms wrapped around himself, hands gripping the jacket he was wearing. "He would've taken me away," he whispered, his voice shaking as his eyes filled with tears. Indiana jumped on the couch on his other side and curled up with his head on Mac's thigh, but Mac didn't seem to notice. "If the taser had worked, he would've... he would've taken me away," he repeated, his lower lip trembling.

Jack felt cold all over at the thought, but he forced down his anger and wrapped his arms around Mac instead, pulling him in close and closing his eyes when Mac buried his face in his neck. "It's okay, darlin' - the important thing is that it didn't work and you're here with me."

He felt Mac exhale shakily and he tightened his grip on him when he started trembling. “Shhh, I got you,” he whispered, when Mac made a tiny sound and a second later Jack felt something wet against his neck. “It’s okay, baby, just let it out,” he murmured when Mac quietly sobbed, curling more into him. “I’m right here and I ain’t leaving you.”

Jack rubbed one hand up and down Mac's back, pressing his cheek against his hair and riding it out while he cried. Eventually his sobs tapered off into the occasional sniffle, and Jack felt comfortable pushing him back a little so he could put a hand on Mac's face, thumbing away his tears. "I'm with you on this, okay? As long as I'm breathing he's not gettin' anywhere near you again, understand?" He shook his head a little, kicking himself. "I should've gone with you into town, Marge and the others be damned."

Mac’s eyes were wide and luminous because of the tears, and he immediately shook his head. “Jack, no,” he said quietly, his voice hoarse. “This... it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

Sighing, Jack brushed the hair out of Mac’s eyes and pressed his lips to his forehead. He didn't understand what was happening to him and why he felt such a sudden urge to protect Mac even though he had just met him, but there was no denying how he felt. “Still. Your first time in town... I should've gone with you. I just...” He sighed again. “I wanted to make it easier for you.”

Mac slumped into his hold, like he was exhausted from his crying jag - which come to think of it, he probably was. "I know, Jack, but maybe..." He trailed off. "I don't know. I just... thank you. For... f-for keeping him away from me."

"Of course," Jack murmured, nuzzling at his temple and holding him closer. "Do you want me to look at the taser burn? It should probably be cleaned."

Sniffling, Mac nodded and sat up a little, and that was when he noticed Indiana who was still curled up next to him, his head on Mac's thigh. He smiled a tiny, weak smile and pet him gently, scratching behind his ears. "I guess I should thank you as well," he murmured softly, and Jack's heart swelled.

Gently, he slid the jacket off Mac's shoulders and waited for him to nod before taking off his shirt as well to look at the burn. It was red and angry but thankfully not very big, so Jack gave Mac a kiss on the cheek before he got up to grab the first aid kit he kept in the kitchen. He cleaned it as gently as he could, apologizing when Mac hissed in pain, but left it uncovered so it could dry out. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked quietly. "Are the shakes gone?"

"I think so," Mac whispered, running his fingers through his hair and curling up against Jack's side. "I'm just... tired," he murmured, cuddling closer when Jack wrapped his arms around him. In this position Indiana couldn't put his head on his thigh, so he hopped off the couch and sat next to it, watching both Mac and Jack with huge, dark eyes, and Jack knew it was crazy, but the dog almost looked worried.

"Okay, well, we can stay right here for as long as you want," Jack told him, sliding one hand up Mac's back to stroke it through his hair. "Can I get you anything?"

"Maybe... maybe some coffee?" Mac asked, so Jack got up again and heated some coffee from that morning up in the microwave for both of them. When he returned to the couch Indiana had taken his place, so he shooed him a little and sat back down, handing Mac the mug so he could warm up his hands.

Mac immediately curled up against his side again, propping the mug on Jack's thigh and snuggling as close as possible. Jack's heart broke when he watched him because Mac looked so small and miserable and so, so young... _too young_, a snide voice inside him whispered, but Jack quickly pushed it away. Indiana was pressed against his other side and Jack felt like he was in the middle of a very warm sandwich, but he didn't mind in the slightest.

He kept quiet for a while, stroking his fingers through Mac's hair and pressing the occasional kiss to the top of his head. He had never thought being comforting was his strong suit, but evidently Mac disagrees, and eventually it paid off. Mac looked up at him and brought up a hand to touch his cheek gently, nails scratching lightly over his stubble. "Are _you_ okay?" he asked softly. "Confrontations like that must bring up bad memories."

"Maybe not necessarily bad, but... memories, yeah," Jack said quietly, glancing at Mac before looking away. "I'm fine, darlin', I just wonder... you know, never mind."

"No, tell me," Mac murmured, resting his hand on the side of Jack's neck and leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw. "Please?"

Sighing, Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Did you hear your father mention a woman named Matilda Webber?" he asked, and when Mac nodded he continued, "We used to work together at the CIA. I wouldn't say we were friends, because you just... don't have friends at the CIA, but we were the closest thing to that. Or at least that's what I thought." He sighed deeply, smiling when Indiana yawned by his side. "I'm just wondering what she told your father about me. And why."

"He said she wasn't as hard on you as he thought she'd be, right?" Mac asked, and when Jack grunted his assent he continued, "Maybe she was just trying to get him to go away? So she told him _something_... and maybe it was bad, but he made it seem worse?"

"Maybe," Jack murmured, kissing Mac's temple. "I'm also not sure he, uh, fully understood _why_ I was protecting you."

"He seems to... not understand many things," Mac whispered, snuggling closer. His coffee mug was almost empty, so Jack took it from him and sets it on the coffee table before leaning against the back of the couch. "And I don't care. I don't... I want nothing to do with him,"

"Then I'll keep him away, one way or another," Jack promised, getting his other arm around Mac too. As an afterthought he handed him back his shirt and helped him put it on, then wrapped the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch around him too. "I can set up some traps once you're feelin' better, make sure he can't sneak in without us knowing about it."

Mac huffed out a tiny sound that could almost be qualified as a laugh. "That's... a good idea, actually," he said quietly, wrapping his arm around Jack's middle. "I can help. I like building traps."

"That's a weird hobby, but sure, darlin'," Jack said with a grin. "Whatever you want."

Mac made that soft sound again and then his hand slipped under his shirt to curl over his hip bone, making Jack shiver... and then he jumped a little when a wet dog tongue licked over his skin that had gotten exposed when Mac had moved the hem of his t-shirt.

"Damn it, Indy," Jack grumbled, gently shoving his head away and smiling when the whole thing made Mac laugh quietly. His heart beat faster every time Mac touched him, and he knew what it means, just like he had known it with Diane... and as terrified as Jack was of getting hurt again, he couldn't bring himself to push Mac away. "Tin can traps are always a good start," he said, clearing his throat and trying to distract himself. "We can rig up something with a shotgun too, give him a real surprise."

"As tempting as it is..." Mac started, sounding a bit more like himself. "What if something else gets close to it, like an animal, or Indy? Actually, we'll have to think of something to keep him away from them." He had a point and Jack loved how smart he was, and he couldn't help but kiss his temple again.

"I was also thinking we should get you a new cell phone," Jack said, then hesitated. "If... if you want to stay for a while, I could add you to my plan. That way your old man wouldn't have your number anymore."

Mac tipped his head back to look at him, those blue eyes luminous and absolutely stunning. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Of course I would," Jack murmured, and with a start he realized that he would do much more for Mac - and that thought scared him. It had been two days since they met and if Jack was being honest... he couldn't imagine his house without Mac in it and thinking like that would surely lead to him having his heart broken.

"You're... thank you," Mac said softly, and he sat up a little and framed Jack's face with both hands. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he whispered, and pulled him in for a kiss, pressing their lips together.

Jack shut his eyes and enjoyed the moment, moving his lips against Mac's but not trying for anything more intimate. When they broke apart Mac surprised him by getting off the couch and pulling his borrowed jacket back on. "Come on, those traps aren't gonna build themselves," he said, offering Jack another tiny smile and a hand up. And unlike with most people, Jack took the hand instead of ignoring it, because he didn't see it as pity - Mac genuinely didn't seem to care that he was missing a limb, and that was a refreshing change to say the least.

Ever since he had lost his leg most people treated him differently and Jack hated it with passion. They either looked at him with pity in their eyes, or treated him like he was a liability, but Mac... he wasn't doing any of it.

Jack didn't let go of his hand once he stood up and they headed outside and Jack didn't miss the surprised smile on Mac's face when he sees the truck blocking the gate. "You didn't think I was gonna make it easy for him, did you?" Jack asked dryly, smiling himself when Mac kissed his cheek.

It didn't take long to rig up some lines of tin cans that would rattle if someone tried to cross them, and Mac whipped up a spray that would smell bad to Indiana and keep him away. Once all that was taken care of Jack said they could take a break, but Mac insisted that he was okay to work on the roof... which was probably a good thing since it looked like it might snow.

It was colder than it had been yesterday and Jack couldn't tear his gaze away from Mac who looked beautiful with red cheeks and eyes that seemed even more blue. He felt all warm inside when he saw his jacket on Mac, but he forced himself to concentrate as they brought all the materials closer to the house and climbed the ladder to get up on the roof.

They got about half the roof done before they were both trying to rub the feeling back into their hands. Deciding to tie down a tarp to the other half of the roof they called it a day, and once they were inside Jack took a better look at what Mac had bought for food and made a sound of approval. There was lots of stuff to pick from, including all the supplies for a quick chicken noodle soup.

He quickly started putting it together, eager to eat something to warm them up and he tripped over Indiana who kept following him around the kitchen. “Indy, for God’s sake,” he groaned, gripping the counter at the very last second to keep himself from falling down. "You'll get a piece of chicken, but not if I kill myself because of you.”

A whistle came from the hallway and Indiana rushes to meet Mac who was just getting out of the bathroom after a warming up shower. “I think he likes you more than me,” Jack mused, watching Indiana jump around Mac.

Mac grinned at him, huge and brilliant and so goddamn gorgeous it made Jack's breath catch. "I like him too... but not more than you," he replied cheerfully, coming over to wrap his arms around Jack's waist from behind, hooking his chin over his shoulder. "So... I may have bought some extra things while I was in town. Things that aren't food or clothes."

“Somehow I don’t think you’re talking about the tools?” Jack asked, grinning when Mac laughed loudly and pressed his lips to his ear.

“No, I’m not talking about the tools,” he murmured, and Jack shivered when Mac kissed him behind the ear and nipped on the lobe.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, darlin’,” he drawled, turning his head when Mac hooked his chin over his shoulder again and pressed a kiss to his jaw.

Mac's voice went soft and tentative when he said, "I may have bought some lube and condoms?" Jack's brain froze for a moment, and evidently it was a moment too long because he felt Mac tense behind him. "I mean... only if that's something you're interested in, we don't have to do anything with them, I promise, I just thought - "

Between one blink and another Jack turned around in Mac's arms and pressed him against the counter, crashing their lips together in a hard kiss. When he pulled back after a moment Mac blinked those gorgeous eyes at him, some of that uncertainty gone from his face as he relaxed between Jack and the counter. "So you're-"

"Baby, of _course_ I'm interested," Jack basically purred as he nuzzled Mac's cheek. "But I don't want you to think that I... I don't know, expect this from you or somethin'."

Mac laced his fingers at the small of Jack's back, his eyes going big as he stared at Jack. "Of course I - Jack, I know that," he said, catching Jack's mouth with his own and kissing him lightly. "And I don't want _you_ to think that I'm just using you or something."

That thought had never crossed Jack's mind and he frowned a little. "I know that, darlin'," he murmured, leaning in to kiss Mac again. It was a soft kiss, but the air around them had shifted and Jack felt Mac shudder when he licked into his mouth and deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around him and held him close, lazily exploring Mac's mouth, and he couldn't even put it in words how much he _wanted_ Mac... and he didn't mean just sex. He wanted everything with him, he wanted him... he wanted him to stay.

But he couldn't say that right now, it was too soon, and Jack didn't want to put any pressure on Mac after the day he had had. So Jack broke the kiss so he could mouth over Mac's jaw, kissing and nipping gently until he reached Mac's ear. "So what exactly did you have in mind, darlin'?" he asked lowly, bringing one hand up to card it through Mac's hair. "And before you answer... it's okay if you don't know, or you're not sure. We can figure that out together."

Mac hands slid up his back, his arms tightening around him. "I'm... not sure," Mac confirmed, laughing breathlessly, and it was such a beautiful sound that Jack couldn't get enough. "I mean... I've been thinking and I think I'd want..." He trailed off, and Jack pulled back, kissing his cheek and giving him time to think. "I think I'd want you inside me?" The words tumbled out of Mac's mouth in a rush and he bit his lower lip while Jack's brain short-circuited. "But I'm... nervous, I guess."

Jack exhaled shakily and swallowed hard, leaning in to kiss Mac on the lips again. "You've got nothing to be nervous about, darlin'. If that's what you want we'll take it nice and slow, and you'll be just fine. Better than fine, if I've got anything to say about it." Jack waggled his eyebrows and smiled when Mac laughed, hugging him close. "Now how about some soup, huh?"

Mac laughed again, that bright, happy sound that seemed to light up the entire room. "Sure," he said, kissing the corner of Jack's mouth, and Jack reluctantly stepped back and grabbed two plates from a cabinet behind Mac's head. He poured them the soup and the second they sat at the table Indiana was right there, although after sniffing around he retreated to the couch, realizing they were eating just soup.

Jack watched the dog for a moment before he rolled his eyes and pulled a piece of chicken out of the soup. He blew on it to cool it off and then chucked it in Indiana's direction. He leaped up into the air and grabbed it, chewing and swallowing before he licked his jaws. "You're really just a big softie," Mac noted, his face betraying his amusement.

Jack tried to glare at him, but he felt himself smile and he rolled his eyes again. “Just don’t tell anyone,” he grumbled. “I have my reputation to protect.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Mac promised solemnly before a grin broke out on his face and he laughed. “Not just this secret.” He leaned in closer until he was right next to Jack, his lips inches away from his ear. “I used the self-checkout today,” he whispered, his voice surprisingly seductive. “No one knows what I bought.”

Jack groaned and shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth in an attempt to quash his arousal. "You're killing me, kid."

"Oh no, I don't want to do that," Mac said, a slow grin spreading on his face. He hooked his foot around Jack's natural leg and rubbed it up and down his calf. "I think I need you alive for what I have planned."

Jack was suddenly grateful for all his training because only thanks to years spent as a sniper and his excellent self-control he was able to stop himself from dragging Mac to the bed right now. “Who knew you were such a tease?” he asked, his voice miraculously steady.

Mac grin widened, and oh, Jack was _so_ screwed. "Does it count as teasing if I plan on giving you what we both want?" he asked, and that shouldn't be enough to intensify Jack's arousal but it was, because he found everything about Mac down to his choice of words to be irresistible.

"You're the genius," he managed to say, feigning nonchalance as he took a sip off his beer. "You tell me."

Mac tilted his head a little and then he stood up and threw his leg over Jack’s thighs, straddling him. He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him closer, their lips an inch apart. “I don’t think it’s teasing,” he murmured, his breath hot in Jack’s lips. “I think it’s... more of a promise,” he added in a whisper, and Jack was about to lose his damn mind. His hands moved on their own and settled on Mac’s hips, his breathing a little uneven. “So,” Mac started, nuzzling Jack’s cheek. “You done with your soup?”

Mac yelped when Jack shoved his hands under his ass and stood, picking him up at the same time. "Yeah, I think I'm done," Jack told him, nipping at his jaw and neck as he grabbed the aforementioned lube and condoms from the counter and walked toward the bedroom. Indiana made a half assed attempt to follow them and grunted when Jack shut the door behind them, dropping Mac on the bed and crawling on top of him.

He tossed the lube and condoms on the mattress and took a second to look down at Mac. He was gorgeous, his eyes wide and darker than usually, and Jack didn't waste any more time and leaned down to kiss him. Mac's arms immediately wrapped around his back and he spread his legs, moaning softly when Jack slipped his tongue between his lips, deepening the kiss as he pushed his arm under Mac's waist to hug him closer.

It felt as incredible now as it had the first time, and a part of Jack still couldn't believe this was real, that Mac wanted him to kiss him and touch him like this. They were both half hard already so Jack rocked his hips down into Mac's, grinning and pulling away to scrape his teeth against his throat when it made Mac let out a louder moan. "That's it, baby," he murmured, sucking a bruise into the birthmark by Mac's jaw. "Let me hear you."

Mac's hands slid down his back and they slipped under his t-shirt, fingernails digging into his skin. Moving lower, Jack pushed the collar of Mac's shirt away to nip on his collarbone, loving the soft sounds leaving Mac's throat. "God, you're so beautiful," he muttered against his skin. "So stunning."

This time Mac's hips twitched up into Jack's in response to the praise, and Jack groaned and ground down into him maybe a little harder than he had intended. He wanted nothing more than to flip Mac over and start fingering him open, but he knew they weren't at that point in their relationship - wait, _relationship_? That threw Jack for a moment... and it was also something he didn't need to think about right now. Instead he leaned back to pull off his shirt while Mac got rid of his own, and then he was back on that gorgeous body, licking over a nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

Mac moaned and arched beautifully underneath him, scratching his back and moving one hand to the back of Jack’s neck to keep him from pulling back. “Jack,” he groaned, and fuck, Jack was sure his name had never sounded that good. He moved on to his second nipple and slid his hand down Mac’s side, reaching the waistband and toying with the buckle of his belt.

Mac whimpered when he felt where Jack's hand was, so Jack took pity on him and opened his belt, undoing his pants as quickly as possible and palming Mac's cock through his underwear. "Please," Mac whispered, his own hands sliding around Jack's body to get his pants off. "Please touch me, Jack."

“Okay, I’ve got you,” Jack murmured, pushing his hand into his underwear and wrapping his fingers around Mac’s cock. Mac gasped loudly, his hips twitching again, and Jack stroked him a few times before letting go, smiling when Mac whined in protest. “Now, baby, we don’t want it to end too soon, do we?” he murmured, and sat up a little to pull Mac’s pants and underwear all the way down.

Mac groaned and helped Jack with his clothes next, until they were finally both blissfully naked. Jack was still wearing his leg, though, and he hesitated before taking it off - last time it was fine, but they were about to be a lot more... intimate. He was about to ask, but Mac touched his cheek with his fingertips before he could. "You can take it off," he said softly, thumb stroking over Jack's cheekbone. "I don't mind, Jack."

Jack’s heart beat a little faster and he smiled as he took the leg off and set it aside. He leaned down to kiss Mac again and put his weight on him, pressing their bodies together and making them both groan when their cocks brushed together.

They spent a moment just exploring each other, tongues tangling lazily, and then Jack reached for the lube. Before he popped the top he pulled back enough to look at Mac, running his free hand through his hair before leaning in again to nuzzle his cheek. "How you doin', darlin'? Any second thoughts?"

Mac looked at him with wide eyes and shook his head. “No, I’m good,” he whispered, brushing his fingers against the short hair on the back of Jack’s neck. “I want this.”

“Okay,” Jack murmured, kissing his cheek, and he got the lube open. He poured some on his fingers and warmed it up before sliding his hand lower and rubbing Mac’s entrance with one finger.

Mac shuddered, but didn't pull away, his eyes locked on Jack's face as he pushed that finger into warm, tight heat. He felt heavenly on the inside and Jack told him as much, slowly pumping that finger in and out of Mac's body for several moments, allowing him to get used to the feeling as Jack kissed at his jaw and neck.

Jack took his time and moved his finger slowly, much slower than he usually did, but this was Mac and it was his first time and Jack wanted it to feel as great for him as possible. He pressed a second finger against his hole but didn't push it in, lifting his head to check up on Mac. “Still good?”

Mac's eyes were huge and hazy with lust, and he nodded, lips parted a little. Jack slipped the second finger in alongside the first and Mac keened underneath him, arching when Jack's fingers brushed his prostate. "Oh, Jack, _oh_, that feels good," he breathed out, fingers gripping Jack's biceps as his inner walls clenched around his fingers.

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his face into Mac's neck, steadily moving his fingers in and out. He was so hard it almost hurt and he was barely stopping himself from thrusting against Mac's hip and grinding against him. He started sucking another bruise into his skin to distract himself and scissored his fingers apart, groaning when Mac cried out sharply, rolling his hips down.

He took that as his cue to add a third finger, crooking them until he found Mac's prostate again. He pressed there until Mac scrabbled at his shoulders and then backed off, moving his fingers back and forth before spreading them wide, stretching him out to get him ready for Jack's cock. "I... I think I'm ready," Mac said, his voice cracking. "Jack, please."

"Okay, okay," Jack murmured, removing his fingers and kissing Mac's neck, his jaw and cheek before finding his way back to his lips. Mac was panting against his mouth and Jack sucked on his lower lip, reaching blindly for the condoms. He took one out and rolled it on his cock and added more lube, groaning in the anticipation. He settled back between Mac's legs and pressed the head of his cock against his entrance, leaning in to kiss him again. "If you wanna stop, you just say a word and I'll stop."

"I know," Mac told him, his voice soft and sure. He wrapped his arms around Jack's neck and hugged him tight as he pushed inside, gasping at the feeling of it. Jack forced his body to fight its instincts and went as slow as he could, steadily pressing forward until he couldn't anymore. Mac was so fucking hot and squeezing him like a vise, and Jack was suddenly afraid he was going to come way too soon. He dropped his forehead to Mac's shoulder to try and collect himself, every nerve in his body burning with arousal.

Mac was still clinging to him and Jack felt him tremble a little underneath him. Taking in a shaky breath, Jack started kissing Mac's skin, nipping on his jaw, and Mac moaned brokenly when he accidentally shifted a little, grinding into him. "Please, Jack," he whispered, his voice shaking. "_Please_."

"Shhh, okay, baby," Jack mumbled near his ear, feeling drunk on lust as he pulled back and thrusted forward again, even and gentle. He rocked in and out of Mac for a while at that calm pace, grabbing one of Mac's thighs and hitching it up over his hip to change the angle and get in even deeper.

Mac moaned loudly when Jack did that and he clawed at his back, apparently wanting him as close as possible. Gripping his thigh tightly enough to bruise, Jack was happy to oblige and he slid his other arm under Mac’s back to hug him close. He groaned at how tight he was and then he thrusted in a little harder, picking up the pace when Mac cried out brokenly.

It felt good, so good, and Jack could come right now if he wasn't concentrating so hard. He moved even faster and nipped and kissed at any part of Mac he could reach before he pressed his lips to Mac's ear. "Baby, I want you to come first. You wanna do that for me? You wanna come on my cock, beautiful?"

Mac let out a sound that was something between a sob and a whine, and he nodded frantically. Not loosening his grip on him, Jack made sure to find Mac's prostate as often as he could, pounding into him hard enough they both moved up the bed a little. Mac was crying out with every push of Jack's hips, sounding completely wrecked, and it took a few of those sharp, fast thrusts for him to come, shouting Jack's name and curling into him, clenching around Jack so hard he almost passed out.

Jack thrusted forward once, twice more and then he was coming too, hips twitching as he filled up the condom.

He collapsed on top of Mac a moment later, boneless and spent, his face pressed into Mac's neck. They were both sweaty and panting, and it took a long minute for Jack's brain to reboot enough for him to use words. "That... was incredible," he said, voice totally wrecked. "You're incredible."

Mac let out a breathless chuckle, his arms still tightly wrapped around Jack. "What?" he asked, his voice raspy, and it shouldn't make Jack's dick twitch, but it did. "But I... I didn't really do anything."

"Nonsense," Jack murmured, and he lifted his head, brushing Mac's hair out of his eyes with one hand. "Are you okay?"

Mac blinked at him, turning his head enough to brush his lips against Jack's wrist. "I'm good, Jack," he whispered, his hands smoothing up and down Jack's back slowly. "You were... that was amazing. I didn't know..." He trailed off, glancing away for a moment. "I mean I read about it online, but I kinda thought it might... hurt."

“It should never hurt,” Jack murmured, kissing his cheek. “Not if it’s done right.” Gently, he pulled out and got rid of the condom before lying back on top of Mac since he didn't seem to mind his weight pinning him down. In fact, as soon as Jack’s on him Mac hugged him close, his hand going back to running up and down his back. He was stunning like that, pliant and relaxed, and his eyes were shining happily, all the worry and fear caused by his father that had been in there before long gone.

Jack couldn't believe that he was the reason Mac looked like that, and he smiled as he nuzzled his face into Mac's neck. They were quiet for a moment, until Mac said softly, "Jack?" When Jack hummed to show he was listening, he continued, a little hesitation in his voice, "You... you're not what I thought you were going to be like when I first met you. And I... I'm really glad I picked Dallas, and did everything that led me here."

Jack’s heart beat a little faster and he forced himself to swallow the words he desperately wanted to say - ‘please, stay’. “I’m really glad too,” he murmured instead, kissing Mac’s neck. “And you’re definitely not what I expected either when I let you in that evening.”

Mac smiled and pulled him closer, kissing him softly before his eyes widened when he glanced toward the window. “It’s snowing,” he gasped, sounding... excited. He looked back at Jack, something hopeful in his gaze. “Do you think... I know it’s silly, but... can we go outside for a moment?”

Jack grinned at him and leaned in to kiss him. "Sure we can... might need pants, though." He strapped on his leg and they got dressed in a hurry, hustling outside while they were still pulling their jackets on, Indiana hot on their heels. It wasn't snowing too hard but it was enough to coat the ground, everything around them blanketed in silence. Mac looked utterly entranced, and something occurred to Jack: "You've never seen snow before, have you?"

Mac blushed and chewed on his lower lip. “I’m... no, I haven’t,” he admitted quietly, his eyes fixed on the snow. Indiana raced past them and started barking and jumping around, and Mac looked like he wanted to join him. “No snow in Cali and there was no snow during my short time at MIT.” He stepped down from the porch and looked so _happy_ that Jack was unable to stop himself from grinning widely.

He followed him and grabbed Mac's hand, and they walked together through the falling flakes. "You know... Christmas isn't too far away," he said, trying for casual and failing miserably. "Once we get the roof done we could fix up the inside of the house a little... and maybe put up some decorations." He paused. "We could even get a tree. I haven't had a Christmas tree since I was a little kid."

Mac's eyes widened and he looked like he was seconds from bouncing happily. "You're serious? That would be amazing," he said with a wide grin. "I love Christmas, though it's been a while since I truly celebrated it." His smile dimmed a little. "I was deployed last year. But Bozer sent me a package with that goddamn Christmas pastrami-" He suddenly cut off and before Jack could ask about what the hell that was, Mac asked, "Hey, don't you have any plans with your family?"

Jack felt his smile fade, and he shook his head. "I don't think so. My sister will probably invite me up to Chicago to spent the holiday with her family, but they don't really want me there. I've been pretty miserable to be around in the past, and once you've flipped a dinner table people tend to look at you differently." He squinted up at the cloudy sky and sighed. "I've fucked up a lot of shit in my life. I don't want this thing with you to go down that road too."

He felt Mac let go of his hand and then he was in front of him, wrapping his arms around his neck. "It won't," Mac said, his voice firm. Jack looked into those blue eyes and opened his mouth to argue, but Mac beat him to it: "We all make mistakes, it's okay, it's... human." He shrugged a little with a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere, Jack, so... one day at a time, yeah? Spend Christmas with me. Then New Year's Eve. If you want to, that is."

Jack was helpless to do anything but smile back at him, wrapping his arms around Mac's waist. "Okay," he murmured, and leaned in to give him a kiss. He brought up one hand to run it through Mac's hair, dislodging the snowflakes that had collected in the blond strands. "If you want to... you could invite your friend Bozer to come visit. I can order another bed to go in the guest room."

Mac blinked at him, clearly surprised. "You... really?" When Jack nodded, he smiled wider. "I'll... I'll give him a call tomorrow. If you're sure."

"I'm sure, darlin'," Jack murmured, unable to stop smiling. "I can tell you miss him."

Mac didn't say anything and leaned in to kiss him again. Their lips were slowly moving together and with the snowflakes falling around it felt... perfect. They pulled back after a moment and Jack rested his forehead against Mac's, having trouble believing this was real... and he was broken out of his thoughts by more happy barking. When they both looked around, searching for Indiana, they saw him rolling around in the snow, his black fur covered in white.

The snow had accumulated pretty quickly, making little drifts that were big enough for Indy to bury himself in... and Jack got an evil idea. Without warning he hoisted Mac up by the waist, ignoring his surprised yelp in favor of walking him toward the nearest snow pile and dropping him into it. "Jack, oh my god!" Mac exclaimed, spitting out snow and then gusting out a breath when Jack landed on top of him.

Jack grinned down at him and they started rolling around in the snow. Mac was laughing loudly, the bright sound echoing around and he laughed even louder when threw some snow behind Jack’s collar, making him swear loudly. Eventually, Jack pinned him down, holding down his wrists on either side of his head, and Mac grinned up at him, his cheeks red and hair full of snow, and he was the most beautiful thing Jack had ever seen. He leaned down to kiss him when he released his wrists, Mac’s arms wrap around him, pulling him closer. Their tongue slid together lazily and Jack didn't remember ever being that happy. Everything was silent around them save for Indiana’s grunts and panting... and then Jack heard a patter of paws on the snow and it was the only warning he got before he got knocked of Mac, landing on his back with Indy sprawled on top of him, licking his face with abandon.

Jack spluttered and keeps laughing, shoving at Indy until he got the message and stopped drooling all over him. "Damn, dog, your breath is terrible!"

"You're the one who feeds him," Mac pointed out, swearing when he got assaulted next. Eventually they all wound up collapsed on the ground, trying and failing to suck in air, and Jack smiled when Mac reached for his hand and tangled their fingers together in the cold.

“Thank you, Jack,” Mac said softly after a moment, and Jack turned his head to look at him.

“What for?” he asked, squeezing Mac’s hand, smiling a little when Indiana got up and ran away again.

“Everything, I guess,” Mac murmured. “But right now for... I don’t know. I wanted to go outside and you came with me, no questions asked. So for that.”

Jack rubbed his thumb across Mac's knuckles, and a moment later dragged that hand over so he could kiss the back of it. "No problem, darlin'." He thought of something. "You... you don't mind the pet names, right? I kinda just started using them and never asked."

Mac smiled widely. “No, I don’t,” he said, a pretty blush spreading on his cheeks. “I... I like them, actually. Way more than I thought I would.”

“Good.” Jack squeezed his hand again and sat up. “Wanna head inside? With the way it’s snowing, it’s gonna be white for a long time. The snow’s not going anywhere.”

"Hope you didn't have any gardening plans," Mac joked, letting Jack pull him to his feet and brush some of the snow off of him.

"Nah, that's for spring," Jack replied, and tugged him toward the house, whistling for Indy to follow them. "Come on, let's go take a shower and warm up. Then we can hit the hay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ❤️


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, Merry Christmas! 
> 
> Sammy updated the Mermac fic two days ago, so now it's my turn! As you can see, I finally figured out how long this fic is going to be - eight chapters. So we have two more to go before this one.
> 
> This chapter is... long. I tried to cut it in half, I really did, but it was impossible, so I hope you don't mind that it's a bit longer :D
> 
> We really hope you like it and a Happy New Year!

Shifting, Jack yawned and opened his eyes, blinking the sleep away. The sun was filtering in between the curtains so it was probably going to be a sunny, cold day, and he already knew his ranch looked like a Christmas postcard. Slowly, he rolled on his side and propped himself on one elbow, looking down at Mac who was asleep next to him. He was lying on his back and his was is a fluffy mess on the pillow and Jack let his eyes sweep over him. There were freckles on his bare shoulders that Jack found adorable, and he looked stunning in the morning light.

He couldn't resist leaning in to kiss one of those freckles, then another, working his way up to Mac's throat. He kissed that birthmark near the hinge of his jaw, then a freckle on his cheek, and another near his nose. That nose wrinkled and his eyes fluttered open, smiling when he saw Jack. "Good morning," he mumbled, stifling a yawn and stretching like a cat.

"Mornin', sunshine," Jack murmured, and kissed the corner of his mouth before lying down on his side. Mac immediately rolled toward him, his arm snaking around Jack's middle under the covers and reminding Jack that they were still naked after more fun they had had once they had come back to bed last night. "What's the plan for today, hoss?"

"Well, I think I'll take you up on your offer and call Bozer," Mac said, nuzzling at his jaw. He seemed to like Jack's beard, which was a good thing since Jack wasn't planning on shaving. "Then I guess we have to take the tarp off the roof and finish the other side in case it snows again." He was quiet for a moment. "Do you think my dad's gonna come back?"

“In general? I have no idea,” Jack said, bringing his hand up to cup his cheek. “But not today. The roads are probably snowed in and that shiny SUV would probably get stuck.”

“Good point,” Mac murmured, leaning into Jack’s touch. “I wonder if he’s still in the town. Though he doesn't seem as a motel type of guy.”

"Then maybe we lucked out and he left," Jack said, brushing gentle kisses along Mac's cheek until he got to his ear. "But if he didn't, I'm fully prepared to do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe." He hesitated, swallowing hard before he said in a quieter voice, "I... Mac, I've never felt this way about anybody else. You've managed to... get under my skin, and I... I don't mind."

He heard Mac exhale shakily and then he was being rolled in his back with Mac looming over him. He leaned down to press their lips together in a short kiss, but he didn't go far once he pulled back. "I've never felt this way either." He gestured at both of their bodies with a wry smirk. "Clearly." But then the smile softened and he nuzzled Jack's cheek. "And I think I'm getting attached and... I also don't mind."

Jack got both arms around Mac and hugged him close, pressing a kiss to his temple. "You can get as attached as you want, I'm just as bad," he told him. "And... you know you don't _have_ to work for me in order to stay, right? Because that might be how this started... but I think we've moved into different territory."

"You think?" Mac raised his eyebrow, making Jack chuckle. "But... I want to work for you. Or _with_ you," he said, crossing his arms on top of Jack's chest and propping his chin on them. "You still need help with fixing everything and I'm more than happy to do it." Jack was slowly running his hand up and down Mac's back, eventually sliding it lower and resting it on his ass, and Mac's smile widened, but he didn't say anything. "You also don't have to pay me, you know."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, tilting his head a little. "I've got more than enough in the bank, it ain't a problem."

"I have money," Mac replied, watching him with those gorgeous eyes. "It’s just getting to it that's the problem... although I guess now that my dad knows where I am it doesn't matter if I use my credit cards."

"I just don't like the idea of you working for free," Jack murmured, rubbing his ass with his thumb. "Feels like I'm usin' you."

"But you're not," Mac argued with a smile. "I get you out of this, right? So I say it's a win." He tilted his head and his smile grew mischievous. "Though I have to admit, the thought of you as my boss is kinda hot."

"Well, I guess I could order you around a little," Jack mused, smiling back without realizing he was doing it. "Maybe offer some... discipline if you decide to slack off."

Mac blinked at him. "That shouldn't be hot, but it is," he said, one hand shifting to rub up and down Jack's side. "What, um... what kind of discipline are we talking about exactly?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jack murmured, and flattened his hand on Mac's ass cheek, kneading it with his fingers. "Could always spank you if I decide it's necessary... or if you're being naughty."

Mac's breath hitched and he leaned down, but before their lips met there was a loud whine coming from behind the door, followed by a bark. Mac closed his eyes with a pained yet amused look on his face. "I guess someone wants to go outside. And get breakfast." After they had gotten back from the snow and to bed, they had kicked Indiana out again, much to his dismay, so Jack supposed the dog's reaction was understandable.

Mac pushed himself up off of Jack and kissed his forehead, slipping out of his grip and pulling on some clothes. He went and let Indiana outside while Jack put on his leg and got dressed too. He put some food in Indiana's bowl and then got out supplies to make breakfast, smiling when he felt Mac's arms wrap around him from behind.

"Hey there," he murmured with a grin, turning his head to press a kiss to Mac's cheek when he hooked his chin over his shoulder. "You know, I don't think Indy's happy about being kicked out not only from my bed, but also from the bedroom."

"I agree," Mac said, one hand slipping up under the hem of Jack's t-shirt to feel at his abs. His lips brushed against Jack's ear, then his jaw. "But I kind of like having you all to myself sometimes." He gave Jack a squeeze. "I talked to Bozer while I was outside. He's... _really_ excited about visiting." He paused. "He also said he could bring somebody along that was good with computers who could look into my dad. He met her at the burger place he works at."

“That’s not a bad idea,” Jack said, shivering when Mac’s fingers brushed over his scars. “Maybe she'll find some dirt on him that you could use to get him to back off. She’s his girlfriend or something?”

“Nah, just friends,” Mac said, nosing under Jack’s jaw. “Which means she should get the guest room-“

“And we'll kick your buddy Bozer out to the couch,” Jack finished for him, his voice a little strained because damn, Mac was distracting in the best way. “Indy’s gonna be thrilled since I’m pretty sure that’s where he’s sleeping when we’re having fun. Hope your buddy likes to cuddle huge dogs.”

Mac pressed his smile against Jack's cheek. "That's a fun mental image. And I'm glad you approve because they're getting on a plane this morning and they should be here by tonight."

Jack smiled too, turning in Mac's grasp and giving him a kiss. "You don't do anything by halves, do you? I guess if we're gonna have wild monkey sex we'll have to do it before they show up."

"Or once they leave," Mac murmured with a grin. "Though I have no idea how long Bozer will last on a ranch. He used to be scared of horses when he was a kid." Mac let out a giggle and it was the cutest thing ever. "I'm not sure if he got over it."

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," Jack said, chuckling a little and already planning how to maybe scare this Bozer fella a little. "I guess we should get that bed to the guest room, huh?" he asked, leaning in to kiss Mac again. "Did you... did you tell your friend about... us?"

"Nope," Mac replied, and for a second Jack felt the dull thud of hurt in his chest, but Mac nuzzled at his cheek. "I thought it would be more fun to let him figure it out himself. Bozer knows I'm bi, that's not a problem... but he has the _best_ over the top reactions to things, and I want to see that."

"Okay," Jack said, relieved, one hand resting on Mac's back, the other sliding lower to touch his ass. "Hopefully the gal he's bringing along isn't gonna have a problem with it."

“I’m sure she won’t,” Mac said, lips pressed to Jack’s cheek. “Bozer wouldn't be friends with her if she had a problem with it.” It was a good point, so Jack didn't argue further and he shivered when Mac kissed his jaw and then his neck, reaching his scar. He pressed a gentle kiss to it, nuzzling the skin, and Jack’s breath hitched. “You have a thing for my ass, don’t you?” Mac murmured when Jack gave his ass cheek a playful squeeze.

"Maybe a little bit," Jack admitted, nosing at Mac's hair... and then he sniffed the air, eyes going wide as he spun around out of Mac's grip. "Shit! I forgot about the damn omelets!" They had turned into little black rocks in the pans and Jack had to throw them in the sink under cold water while Mac opened a window to let out the smoke. By the time that was done they were both laughing their asses off, sitting on the floor and leaning against the kitchen cabinets.

"I feel like this is my fault, but I don't even feel bad," Mac choked out, still laughing.

"Of course it is! You and your ass are just too damn distracting," Jack said with a grin, grabbing Mac's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"So, what now?" Mac asked after a moment once he caught his breath, smiling widely at Jack.

"Well, there's this little diner in town I go to sometimes," Jack said slowly, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "Guess we could go, but we'll be like animals in the zoo, everyone will stare."

"Hey, I'm sure if we just eat and don't talk, and you keep glaring at everyone, they'll think nothing changed," Mac offered, scooting closer to kiss Jack's cheek, and Jack's heart did something funny in his chest.

"And you... you'd be fine with it?" he asked quietly, turning his gaze away.

Mac used his hands to frame Jack's face and pull him in for a real kiss, thumbs rubbing slowly back and forth over Jack's cheekbones. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care what anyone else thinks," he said softly, and that... that made Jack need to kiss him again, so he did. Something dangerous was bubbling up in his throat, three little words that he hadn't said out loud since the day his mother had left for Florida... but he couldn't let them escape.

So he stood up and helped Mac off the floor instead, kissing him again, lingering when Mac's tongue slipped into his mouth. "Maybe we don't need breakfast," he mumbled, but the way his stomach growled said otherwise.

"As much as I'd love to keep kissing you and... more, I think we do," Mac murmured. "But we don't have to go out if you don't want to," he added, his arms circling Jack's neck. "I see you've got enough eggs for more omelets, so it's up to you." He nuzzled Jack's beard and grinned mischievously. "Whatever you choose, once we're done with breakfast... we could get the roof finished real quick and then we'd have time to do something... else."

Jack thought about it for a moment. "We could always wait to do the roof until your friend gets here," he suggested, a mischievous smile curling his lips. "If he's afraid of horses he's probably never lifted a hammer. Fuck it, let's go to the diner."

"That's the spirit," Mac said with a smile, and they grabbed keys and jackets and headed outside. Jack hah Mac move the truck out of the way while he warmed up the GTO, and when Mac slid into the passenger's seat they headed off down the driveway.

He could already picture the stares they were going to get, but he didn't really care about that. He didn't want the town to know about the relationship, not yet - and there was this word again, _relationship_ \- so he was glad Mac got it and was fine with it. When they got into town it didn't take long to reach the diner and Jack parked the car in the small parking lot. “Showtime,” he murmured, squeezing Mac’s hand before letting go and getting out of the car. They walked with a casual distance between them and they stepped into the diner.

"Sit anywhere you'd like!" a voice called from the counter, and they headed for a booth near the back. A young waitress in a cute little uniform approached with menus, and when she saw Jack she hesitated for a second before she smiled. "Hi, I'm Janet, I'll be taking care of you today - coffee?"

"Please," Mac replied, flipping open his menu. "For both of us. Black's fine."

"O-okay," she said, her voice stuttering just a little, her eyes glued to Mac, and that was _great_, another kid in town was smitten with Mac. "I'll give you a minute to think about food and I'll be right back with your coffee," she chirped, tugging her hair behind her ear before walking away.

"You gonna break all the hearts around the town?" Jack murmured low enough so that no one could hear him, a corner of his lips twitching in a barely noticeable smile.

Mac blushed and ducked his head, and oh _no_, that was so cute. "I don't know what you mean," he muttered, focusing on his menu like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Jack had been here enough that he basically had the thing memorized, so he set his aside, trying to ignore the multiple sets of eyes he could feel on his body. Normally he would already be frustrated by people and their inability to keep to themselves, but something about having Mac around relaxed him.

Janet returned a moment later with their coffees, writing down their orders when they gave them. She was careful not to touch Jack's fingers when he handed her the menu back, but flushed scarlet when Mac's hand accidentally brushed hers before she scurried off.

"Can't say I blame those girls, you're quite a catch," Jack whispered, his lips barely moving. "And since everybody knows everybody here... they're all very interested in a young, gorgeous bachelor showing up in town. Doesn't mean I’m a fan of how she's drooling behind that counter." He paused to throw a sharp glare at Wally, the guy who worked at the lobby in the motel and had been staring at him a bit too long, and he immediately turned away, his eyes wide.

Mac didn't miss Wally's reaction and snickered a little. "What happens if you sneeze in here? Do they all dive under the tables?" His foot was on top of Jack's real one, tapping lightly, and it was such a small gesture of affection that nobody should notice it.

"Maybe, I've never tried it," Jack replied, unable to stop himself from smiling... and somebody must have caught the expression on his face because there was actually a _gasp_ coming from somewhere in the room.

Mac snorted out a laugh, but masked it with a fake cough, turning his head toward the window so that no one could see him squeeze his eyes and chuckle under his breath. "This is hilarious, oh my god," he whispered once he got his shit together.

Jack forced himself to keep the look on his face neutral. "Glad you're havin' fun," he grumbled, but without real heat behind it, but before Mac could reply Janet comes back with their food.

"Here you go," she said, placing a plate of French toast in front of Mac and a lumberjack breakfast in front of Jack. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, I think we're good," Mac told her, and once she left they dug in. The food was good as always, and thankfully the spectacle seemed to have died down a bit now that they were eating.

The bell over the door chimed again, and Jack felt his whole body go hot with anger when he heard James's voice: "Well, well, if it isn't my son and the town hermit."

Mac froze and he looked at Jack with wide, scared eyes. The way they were sitting he was the one facing the door and his gaze shifted above Jack's shoulder and judging by how his hands started shaking a little, James was making his way to them. The diner fell entirely silent and everybody was watching them, probably wondering what kind of idiot was about to mess with Jack Dalton.

Taking a deep breath, Jack calmly set his fork and knife aside and listened to James's footsteps. When they got close enough he stood up and turned, just enough to face James who was standing right in front of him. "Get out," he said lowly, his voice dangerous, and he could actually see Wally blanch and gulp.

James smirked at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "That worked when I was on your property, Dalton, but this is a restaurant. Unless the manager asks me to leave, I don't have to go anywhere."

He sidestepped Jack, but instead of going for Mac he slipped into an empty booth across the aisle from them; after a second of hesitation Janet approached him and took his drink order after she handed him a menu. Jack glared daggers at James, but sat back down, because unfortunately he was right when he said that he was allowed to be there.

If the situation wasn't so serious, Jack would have laughed because James thinking this place had a _manager_ was hilarious, but that wasn't important right now. Mac was pale as a ghost, looking like he was about to pass out, and Jack wanted more than anything to grab his hand, but that would make everything worse. "I've got you," he murmured, low enough so that James didn't hear. "You'll be just fine."

Mac looked at him with worry in those gorgeous eyes, but he nodded just a little to show he understood. They went back to their food for a minute until James had a chance to order some for himself - then he started talking again. "So Angus," he started casually. "Had any thoughts about pulling your head out of your ass on your own, or do you need me to do it for you?"

Jack was itching to say something, but he wanted to give Mac a chance in case he wanted to defend himself. He watched him take a deep breath before taking a sip of his coffee. "Sounds to me like I'm not the one that needs to pull his head out of his ass," he said, his voice steady, but Jack could see how stressed he was. "I don't need anything from you."

"Are you sure about that?" James asked, and Jack didn't like the smarmy tone to his voice at all, or the expression on his face - like he knew something they didn't. "Have you checked your accounts lately?" Mac glanced in his father's direction, eyebrows furrowed, and slipped his phone out of his pocket. He tried to log into his bank account and Jack could see that he was locked out, and with increasingly shaky hands he tried the same thing with his credit card accounts with no luck. "Huh," James said, all false-puzzlement. "I doubt Dalton wants a freeloader on his property."

Jack was aware the entire diner was listening to what was happening and he hated that Mac had gotten put on the spot like that. "You're right, I wouldn't want that," he drawled, leaning against the back of the booth in a nonchalant way. "But the thing is, he ain't no freeloader. He's workin' for me and in exchange I let him stay. Quite a good deal if I say so myself."

"Hmmm, that's a fair point," James said, inclining his head. "But what about if he didn't have a driver's license? Or health insurance? It's much easier than you'd think to make those things disappear." He looked entirely too pleased with himself. "If I really wanted to get mean, I bet I could have immigration come knocking at your door. Or maybe the feds? You don't have anything to hide on that property of yours, do you, Dalton? Because that would be... unfortunate."

Jack's heart stopped for just a second because could James know about... no way. He must have been bluffing. Jack didn't let anything show on his face and he smiled. "Go ahead. I'm an open book," he said, raising his eyebrow and holding James cold gaze.

"Why are you doing this?" Mac's quiet voice sounded a moment later, tired and a little defeated. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because you're brilliant, Angus - too brilliant to waste the rest of your life in that house in LA or in this backwater town," James replied, not looking away from Jack while he spoke. "Besides, I hardly understand your attachment to this washed up old spook." He paused, realization flickering on his face, but just as Jack thought they were about to be outed James said something much, much worse: "Oh, I get it. He's a replacement for Peña."

Mac inhaled sharply, the mention of his friend and mentor probably cutting very deep. And Jack knew it wasn't like that, that their relationship was much different from what Mac thought of Peña, but still, that tiny little doubt was now in Jack's head.

Realizing Mac was too shaken up to say anything, Jack stood up, done with this conversation and with James MacGyver. "It's up to him how he lives his life," he said quietly. "And I think you've said enough. Leave."

James smirked at him again and stood too. "And I think I said I'm free to stay here as long as I'd like," he said, and Jack was barely restraining himself from punching him in the face. "Also, do I need to remind you again? This isn't your property."

The familiar chunk-chunk of a shotgun getting racked caught the attention of both of them, and Jack glanced to his right to see Doris, the lady who owned the diner, pointing a double barrel at James. "No, but it is mine," she said, squinting her eyes at him. "Get out."

She was an older lady, well in her seventies, but her grip on the shotgun was steady and firm, and she was staring at James with cold eyes. "Ma'am, I think there's been a misunderstanding-" James started with a smile, his voice gentle, but he immediately stopped talking when Doris lifted the shotgun so that it was pointed at his head now.

"I said get out, you fancy lizard," she drawled. "You think I'm bluffin'? My dear Bernie, god bless his soul, always said I was a better shot than he was, wanna find out yourself?" James opened his mouth, but she waved the shotgun again. "You attack one of us, you attack the whole town, mister. And Dalton may be a scary ass and grumpy bastard, but he's our scary ass and grumpy bastard, so I'd get goin' if I were you."

James got the message, backing slowly toward the door, but not before shooting a venomous look in Mac's direction. "Think about what I said, Angus. I can make your life a living hell." And then he was gone, and Doris lowered the shotgun and set it on his vacated table.

"Well, isn't he just a peach," she muttered, before setting her hand on Mac's shoulder. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

Jack was tempted to follow James outside, but he was pretty sure Mac wouldn't want this. "I'm... not really," Mac murmured, glancing at Doris before turning his gaze away and staring at his hands. "Thank you, ma'am. For getting rid of him."

She patted him consolingly. "No problem at all - been a while since I got to wave a gun around like a lunatic." Doris turned her attention to Jack, eyeing him critically. "Did you mean what you said? About taking care of this boy?"

Jack straightened up unconsciously and nodded. "Yes ma'am," he replied, and she surprised the hell out of him by giving his arm a squeeze.

"I knew you weren't as bad as you pretended to be," she teased.

"Just don't tell anyone," he murmured, glad she had kept her voice down and no one really heard what she said - he wanted to remain at least a little scary and mysterious. Mac still looked awful, pale and shaken up, and Jack decided it was time to get him home. "You ready to go?" he asked him quietly, and Mac startled like Jack's voice snapped him out of a trance. "I'm just gonna pay and we can go."

"Oh, don't bother," Doris said, waving her hand. "It's on the house today."

Jack tried to dig out his wallet anyway but Doris leveled him with a look that made him reconsider. He waited for Mac to get up from the booth and followed him out to the car; as soon as they were inside it Mac started shaking like a leaf. Jack hesitated for a split second before reaching out his hand to cover one of Mac's, squeezing lightly. "I'm so sorry, darlin'."

Mac didn't react for a moment, just staring ahead, but then he whispered, barely audible, "Take me home, please?"

"Of course, baby," Jack immediately said, starting the car and ignoring the warm feeling that spread through him when Mac called his ranch home. He wasn't sure if his hand was welcome on Mac's, so he took it away, but then Mac's fingers wrapped around his wrist. He pulled his hand onto his lap and started playing with Jack's fingers and that was fine, more than fine, Jack could drive with one hand. They made it back to the ranch fairly quickly even despite the snow and Mac was out of the car the second Jack parked the car.

Jack decided to give him a minute and set about closing the gate, but he didn't reposition the truck since Mac had mentioned Bozer and his lady friend would be arriving this evening. He walked into the house and stomped the snow off his boots and he found Mac on the couch with Indiana, face buried in his fur. He wasn't crying, but he looked miserable, and Jack figured he would try a down-home cure all: whiskey and tea.

He took off his jacket and boots and headed for the kitchen, taking out two mugs and the bottle of good whiskey. He watched Mac with Indiana and not for the first time he was grateful for that dog - he had no doubt that Indy was next to Mac the second he had stepped into the house, sensing something was wrong. Once the tea was ready, Jack took the mugs and went to the couch, setting them on the coffee table. He didn't sit down, though, not yet, and instead asked in a low voice: "Mind if I join you two?"

Mac looked up at him and unwound one arm from around Indiana, reaching out for Jack. That was all the approval Jack needed and he sat down on Mac's other side, slipping his arm around Mac's shoulders and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I brought you a little something," Jack told him, and reached for one of the mugs, pressing it into Mac's other hand. "My old man used to make this for me after I came home from the war and couldn't sleep."

When Mac blinked at him, Jack smiled. "Yeah, I know it's not even noon yet, but it ain't about sleepin' now, it's about comfort."

Curiously, Mac lifted the mug and took a tiny sip. "Tea... with whiskey?" he said in a quiet, tired voice, and Jack's heart broke a little. "I like it," Mac murmured, leaning more of his weight on Jack and propping his mug on top of Indy when he lied down half in his lap. Jack grabbed his own mug as well and they sat in silence for a while, and Jack was ready to give Mac as much time as he needed. "Jack, I..." Mac started eventually, not looking at him. "I don't want him to come after you, so... I think I have to-"

"No," Jack interjected, a little louder and more forcefully than necessary, making both Mac and Indy jump. He pressed his cheek against Mac's hair. "Sorry, I mean... I don't want you to leave. Not at all, but definitely not because of him. Maybe if this hacker friend of Bozer's can find something on your father she can also get your accounts back." He squeezed Mac gently. "He can send anybody he wants to come bug me... but there's something you need to know."

Mac turned to look at him, his blue eyes gorgeous and full of trust that Jack wasn't sure he deserved. "What is it?"

"Well, I told you what I used to do, right?" When Mac nodded, Jack sighed. "I made a lot of enemies, especially during my CIA days. Like... a _lot_ of them." He rubbed his beard with his hand, turning his gaze away and choosing his words carefully. "About six years ago... this one guy found me. Turned out his boss was willing to pay good bucks for my head delivered on a silver platter."

"So what happened?" Mac asked, his voice soft and curious. He snuggled closer to Jack and sipped his drink.

"Well, he showed up at my door, actually kinda like you did... except I killed him," Jack admitted, closing his eyes as the shame seeped into his words. "He would've killed me, but I still blew his head off... and I buried him out in the woods. It's why I didn't want you wandering out there by yourself - it _is_ dangerous, but I also didn't want you to find anything."

"Okay," Mac said quietly after a moment, and Jack thought he must have been hallucinating. "You did what you had to do, Jack. You said so yourself, you would've killed you," Mac added when he most likely sensed Jack's surprise.

"But... that's it? You're... I expected you to bolt," Jack whispered, tightening his arm around Mac. "I'm not a good person, Mac."

"Really? Then why did you let me stay here?" Mac asked, tilting his head back to look up at him. "Why did you help me even when you didn't have to?" His face colored, but he pushed on: "Why were you so careful with me when we were in bed? You _are_ a good person, Jack, you've just had to do bad things for so long that you've forgotten." He put his free hand on Jack's cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. "I... if we're telling each other the truth... then you should know that I think I'm in love with you."

Jack froze, his eyes wide, and for a moment all he could hear was white noise. Mac must have taken his silence as a bad sign, though, because he started rambling: "I mean, I know it's too soon and that we met just a few days ago, but I'm... I mean, I've never been in love before, but I think this is-"

Jack cut him off by pressing their lips together, but he needed to pull back after a moment because he can't stop smiling. "I'm in love with you too," he murmured, and Mac's eyes got huge like saucers.

"You... really?" Mac whispered, wonder written all over his face. When Jack nodded he smiled back, wide and beautiful, and leaned in to kiss Jack on the mouth again. This time neither of them pulled away and the kiss got deeper, so Jack leaned over to place their mugs on the coffee table before he wrapped both arms around Mac's body. He was warm and soft under Jack's touch, and a simple kiss shouldn't have made Jack feel hot all over but it did.

Mac’s arms wrapped around his neck and he made a soft sound in the back of his throat when Jack slipped one hand under his shirt while exploring Mac’s mouth with his tongue. Indiana huffed and whined in protest when Jack leaned more of his weight on Mac and then he jumped off the couch, and Jack didn't waste any time and pushed Mac on his back, crawling on top of him.

Mac's legs spread, one bending at the knee, the other hanging off the couch onto the floor so that Jack could fit between them. Those clever hands didn't hesitate to run up Jack's back, rucking up his shirt in the process before one moved lower, palming his ass. It made Jack smile and groan all at once, kissing Mac a little harder and bracing some of his weight on one forearm.

Mac kissed back just as hard, bolder than before, nipping on Jack’s lower lip and squeezing his ass. It was nothing like the gentle kisses they had shared the night before, this time it was all teeth and tongue, and while Jack loved it, he needed to make sure that Mac was okay because he was barely holding himself back and if he was going to be a little more... rough, he needed to know this was what Mac wanted.

Reluctantly, he pulled back, ignoring Mac’s whine of protest and how he chased his lips. “Baby, hang on,” Jack murmured, brushing his fingers through Mac’s hair. “You alright?”

"Mhmm, yeah," Mac mumbled, making grabby hands to try and pull Jack back down, but he resisted, needing an actual answer.

Sensing this, Mac made a frustrated sound, but brought his hands around to hold Jack's face. "Jack, I... I trust you, okay? I wouldn't have said what I did earlier if I didn't." His expression softened. "Plus I know you'll stop if I want to... but I don't think I will."

He sounded sure and there was no hesitation in his eyes, so after a moment Jack kissed him softly on the cheek before licking into his mouth again, pushing one arm under Mac’s back to hug him closer. It hadn't been that long since they started making out and Jack was already so turned on he was almost shaking and he couldn't get enough of Mac’s mouth, devouring it like it was the only time he got to do it. “So,” he started, his voice a low murmur. “What do you want?”

"I want... I want you to not hold back this time," Mac replied, the words shaky but firm at the same time. He was hard too, pressed up snug against Jack's cock through their jeans, and it felt like too much and not enough all at once. "I could tell you were because of... of me, and I loved you for it, but... I want more. All of you, if you'll... if that's okay."

Jack exhaled shakily because that much trust... it blew his mind and he couldn't believe Mac felt this way. “More than okay,” he murmured, leaning down and resting their foreheads together. “But if you... if you need me to slow down or stop-“

"I'll tell you, I promise," Mac finished for him, smiling a little, but then he groaned when Jack rolled his hips down, grinding them together. Spikes of pleasure shot up Jack’s spine and he growled against Mac’s neck where he started nipping on his skin and sucking a bruise... and then a whine sounded next to them, and when Jack turned his head Indiana was sitting there, staring at them.

He smirked and sat up, patting the dog’s head. “Oh, I'm not hurting him, don’t you worry,” he drawled before turning his gaze back to Mac. “Wanna head to bed where Indy won’t stare at us?”

"God yes," Mac said, and all but squealed when Jack picked him up, clinging to him with arms and legs. "This doesn't hurt your back, right?"

"No, darlin'," Jack responded, mouthing at his jaw. "I'd say I lift with my knees, but that's only half true." Mac snickered against his cheek but stopped laughing when Jack kicked the bedroom door shut behind them and dumped him on the bed before he crawled on top of him, returning to sucking a bruise over his pulse.

Mac spread his legs again for Jack to settle between them and he moaned when Jack bit him harder, his teeth bruising the delicate skin of his throat. Jack slid one hand into Mac’s hair and tangled his fingers in it, and when he tugged on it the sound that Mac made went straight to his dick. He tugged it again, harder, just to see... and Mac whimpered, his hips snapping up as he clawed at Jack’s back.

That was an interesting reaction and Jack made note of it for later, but right now he was more concerned with getting Mac naked as quickly as possible, so he got both hands to cooperate with taking off Mac's shirt, and he took the opportunity to whip his off too. Once that was done he bit and sucked his way down to Mac's nipples, licking over one and pinching the other between his index finger and thumb, loving the breathless little moans falling from Mac's lips.

He was already panting, writhing a little underneath Jack, and Jack groaned against his skin when Mac ran his hands over his body, pressing his fingers against his scars. It made Jack shiver and he faltered a little, but he recovered quickly and he slide his hand down Mac's abs to unbuckle his belt and open his jeans.

He pushed them down and then took a moment to shove his own off too, relieving some of the pressure on his dick. Then he shimmied down the bed a little until he could bite at Mac's abs, sucking a bruise into his hipbone and pressing the heel of his hand against the bulge in Mac's underwear. "God, look at you," Jack said, his voice rough with arousal. "You're gorgeous."

Mac whined loudly, thrusting up, and he whined even louder when Jack pinned his hips down with his arm. "Jack, please," Mac said, his voice breathless and shaking. "Please."

"Please what?" Jack rumbled out, mouthing at Mac's cock through his underwear.

Mac looked down at him for a brief second, blue eyes practically black with arousal. "Please... your mouth, please."

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Jack replied, and used his free hand to tug down Mac's underwear, exposing his hard, weeping cock to the cool air. Jack quickly replaced that with his tongue, licking a stripe up Mac's length before sucking the head into his mouth, slowly sinking down and swallowing around Mac's cock as he went.

Mac moaned loudly and his hips twitched again, but Jack's arm was firmly holding them down and pinning them to the mattress. "Oh god," Mac choked out, moving one hand to grip the back of Jack's neck, his other hand clawing at Jack's shoulder.

Jack set up a decent rhythm and bobbed his head - it had been a while since the last time he had done this, but it was sort of like riding a bike. He could taste Mac on his tongue and loved it more than he thought he would, especially when he relaxed his throat enough to take him in completely and stilled, swallowing hard as his throat fluttered around the intrusion. "Jack, Jack, oh _fuck_," Mac grated out, his legs flexing restlessly on either side of Jack's body.

Jack was tempted to make him come like this, but then he decided it was too soon and he should tease Mac a bit longer. Swallowing around him one last time, Jack pulled back with an obscene sound and slowly smirked at Mac who looked completely wrecked, whimpering a little and breathing heavily. "How we doin', baby?"

"I'm delightful," Mac deadpanned, which made Jack sputter out a laugh. He tugged at Jack's shoulders and Jack went willingly, kissing him on the mouth when he got close enough.

"You know what I was thinkin'?" Jack asked him in a raspy voice, nipping on Mac's lower lip. "While I was sucking your cock, I was thinkin' about how nice it would be to have you ride me. How do you feel about that?"

"I f-feel great about it," Mac murmured, his voice shaking just a little. "You need to lose your underwear for that, though."

Jack grinned against his lips, but his smile quickly faded when Mac's fingers teasingly brushed over his cock before he hooked them over the waistband of his boxer briefs and tugged them down. "You're a little tease," Jack grumbled, kissing at his cheek and jaw, basically whatever he could reach. Then he rolled them over so he was spread out on his back with Mac straddling his lap. Belatedly he remembered his prosthetic was still attached, but before he could do anything about that Mac was reaching back to unstrap it and let it drop to the floor. It was such a thoughtful gesture that Jack felt tears prick his eyes and he pulled Mac down for a hard kiss, tangling his fingers in his hair again. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Mac replied quietly, and Jack's heart almost jumped out of his chest, and he already knew he would never get tired of hearing that. "And I haven't forgotten about that cushion thingy for your leg, but we'll get back to it later," he added, lifting his head and grinning down at Jack, and then he reached for the lube that Jack had left on the nightstand last night.

He handed it to Jack because the angle was sort of awkward for anything else, so Jack shifted until he was propped up against the headboard and pulled Mac closer, groaning when their cocks brushed together. Then he slicked up his fingers and used the hand he had in Mac's hair to pull him in for another kiss. His wet fingers trailed back to Mac's ass and he circled his hole briefly before pushing the first one inside.

Mac moaned into his mouth and bit down on his lower lip a little too hard, but Jack didn't mind at all. He moved his finger back and forth, faster than he had last night, but he trusted Mac to tell him if he needed to go slower. He didn't complain, though, whimpering and shifting his hips, so Jack added a second finger and scissored them apart.

Mac moaned right next to his ear before he dropped his forehead to Jack's shoulder, nipping at his skin every time he moved his fingers. When he brushed Mac's prostate he was rewarded with a big twitch of his hips and a long groan, and just because he could... Jack left his fingers on that spot, pushing them in a little harder to see what would happen.

Mac's body jolted and he scratched down Jack's chest, leaving red marks behind. His hips were twitching erratically and the sound he made in Jack's ear was almost a sob. "Jack, Jack, _Jack_," he choked out, curling more into him. "Please, Jack, I'm- please."

"Shhh, okay, it's okay, I've got you," Jack murmured, his mouth against Mac's ear. He slipped a third finger inside his willing body, fucking them in and out of Mac's hole just like he would with his cock. But unlike with his cock Jack could make sure he stroked over Mac's prostate with his fingertips every single time he moved. "Will you come for me like this, baby?" he asked, the words rumbling deep in his chest. "Come all over yourself like a good boy and then ride my cock until you do it again?"

"Y-yeah, yes, please," Mac whimpered, crying out when Jack pressed his fingers to his prostate again.

"You beg so prettily," Jack growled, and wrapped his arm around Mac's waist to hold him close and started pumping his fingers in and out of Mac faster. He angled his wrist to make sure he was fucking Mac with his fingers as deep as he could and it only took a moment longer before Mac came all over himself with a strangled shout, clenching around Jack's fingers.

Jack groaned at the sight of Mac falling apart, his dick twitching where it was pressed against Mac's, getting covered in his warm come. "Fuck, baby, that's so good, you're so good for me," he said in a low voice, circling his fingers slowly as Mac trembled through his aftershocks. His free hand stroked down Mac's back before reaching for the nightstand and a condom... but Mac's hand on his wrist stopped him in his tracks.

Jack frowned a little, thinking that maybe Mac wanted to stop - and that would be fine, Jack wasn't going to pressure him into anything - but Mac's lust blown eyes said otherwise. "We don't..." Mac started, his voice trembling. "You're the only one I've been with so I'm clean and I trust you, so..." He trailed off and Jack's brain froze for a moment.

He had always been careful and he had had the blood tests, but the idea that Mac would want this with _him_ blew his mind. "I'm clean too," he whispered, reaching up to touch Mac's cheek. "You sure?" When Mac nodded, Jack blew out a breath and grabbed the lube again, slicking himself up... but then he decided that after an orgasm like that it was probably not fair to make Mac ride him so he smacked him lightly on the hip. "Turn over, darlin'. On your stomach."

Mac breath hitched and his eyes got even darker if possible. He slid of Jack's lap and did as he was told, lying down on his stomach, and Jack's dick twitched again when he saw Mac like that. Shifting, he spread Mac's legs a little and covered his body with his, settling on top of him and nipping on his shoulder, his cock pressed between Mac's ass cheeks.

He lined himself up and slid in nice and slow, groaning against Mac's back as he was swallowed up by tight heat. He slid both arms under Mac's body to pull him closer until they were sandwiched together and he was panting for breath. "Jesus, baby, you feel so damn good," he gasped out, grinding his hips forward a little more. "It's not too much, right?"

Mac just shook his head and Jack slowly pulled his hips back before thrusting back in. Mac gasped loudly, hands twisted in the bedsheets near his head, and Jack set up a slow pace, not wanting to go too hard too soon. "Fuck, you're so perfect," he groaned in Mac's ear, nipping on the lobe, pushing his hips into him a bit harder. "So good for me."

Mac shuddered and whimpered underneath him, and when Jack started thrusting a little faster he gasped again, knuckles going white against the covers. "J-Jack, oh, please," he said, and for a second Jack wondered if he was asking him to slow down... but no. "Harder. I w-want it harder, _please_."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut because that _did_ something to him and he tightened his arms around, drawing his hips back until only the head of his cock was inside Mac... and then he slammed back in. Mac let out a loud scream and kept gasping and crying out when Jack continued to pound into him hard and deep, the remains of his control fading away.

His hips were pushing back into every one of Jack's thrusts and he was practically sobbing with pleasure, sweat making their bodies stick together. Jack slipped his hand down Mac's belly and wrapped his fingers around his cock, which was rock hard once again. "Come on, baby," he growled out, biting at Mac's neck and shoulder hard enough to leave bruises. "You can come for me again, I know you can."

The sounds Mac was making were getting higher, his body shaking, and when he turned his head a little Jack shifted to press their lips together. They were mostly panting into each other's mouths and Jack stroked Mac's cock roughly, pounding into him even harder, and then Mac was coming again with a scream that Jack swallowed, letting go of his cock and fucking him through his orgasm. He was so close he could basically taste it, but he just needed a little bit more.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Mac, though, so he shifted like he was going to pull out, but Mac reached back with one hand to grab his hip and keep him close. "Don't you dare," he said, digging his nails into Jack's skin. "Keep going, Jack - I want you to come inside me. I wanna feel it."

"Oh god," Jack groaned, and buries his face in Mac's neck, holding him close. He started moving again, his thrusts not as hard as before but still deep. "Fuck, baby," he growled, kissing Mac's neck and then his shoulder, loving the tiny, breathless gasps that got punched out of Mac with every push of his hips. He was so close and he sped up, the last few thrusts hard and rough, and then he was coming, groaning and biting down on Mac's shoulder, filling him up with his come.

Mac moaned softly when he felt heat flood his insides, shivering in Jack's hold before he went boneless underneath him. They were quiet for a moment as they both tried to get it together, and once Jack could breathe again he pressed a kiss to the bite mark he had left on Mac's shoulder. "I love you," he said, his voice cracking. "You're amazing."

"I love you too," Mac mumbled, sounding wrecked and exhausted, but when he looked at Jack, his eyes were full of affection. Leaning in, Jack kissed his cheek and then he realized that Mac was probably not very comfortable lying in that wet spot, so he gently pulled out and slid of his body. He wrapped his arm around Mac and tugged him closer until he was spooning him from behind, his chest pressed to his back, and he buried his nose in Mac's hair, inhaling deeply.

Mac snuggled back into his embrace and threaded his fingers through Jack's where they were resting against his stomach. Jack held him maybe a little too tightly and never wanted to let go, basking in his smell and the warmth of his body. "Is it bad that I never wanna get out of bed?" he asked, nuzzling at Mac's ear.

"Not at all," Mac murmured, and he didn't seem to mind Jack's tight grip on him. "And I've got some good news for you - we don't have to move for now, we have time." Jack smiled, kissing the back of his neck. "Though we should probably let Indiana in at some point, or he'll start whining again," Mac added, and Jack could hear a smile in his voice.

"That damn dog," he grumbled a little, but he wasn't really annoyed and he also couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, you can't really blame him," Mac said, yawning a little. "He's used to having you all to himself."

"Mhmm, well, he'll have to get used to sharing," Jack mumbled, squeezing Mac's fingers, his other hand stroking gently over Mac's hip. "Hey, Mac? You know that what your old man did... it doesn't matter. I mean it matters in the sense that you deserve to have access to your own money... but it doesn't matter to me, you know?"

"I know," Mac whispered after a moment. "I just... I don't want to be a b-burden," he said so quietly Jack barely heard him, but when he did his heart cracked a little. "And... what did he call me? Right, a freeloader," Mac added in a quiet voice, his shoulders growing tense.

Jack shifted and rolled Mac until he was facing him, eyes looking down at Jack's chest. "Hey, none of that," Jack said softly, bringing a hand to cup his cheek. "You're not a burden or a freeloader, baby. And I promise we'll figure this out, and make your old man pay."

Mac looked at him with those gorgeous eyes and then wrapped his arms around him, pressing himself closer and burying his face in Jack's neck. "You know he was wrong, right?" he asked softly after a moment. "You're not a replacement for... for Peña," he whispered. "You never were, it's... it's not like that."

Relief spread through Jack's body, and he pressed a kiss to the top of Mac's head. "I thought so, but... but when I heard it out loud, it kinda freaked me out a little." He stroked a hand up and down Mac's back, and it settled on his ass without conscious thought. "But at least he's completely oblivious to the fact that we're together."

"Is it weird that I almost want him to find out?" Mac asked in a whisper. "I mean, a part of me wants that because I'm sure his reaction would be priceless." He sighed. "But it would probably make him harass you somehow, so it's for the best that he doesn't know."

"Mhmm." Jack's fingertips were drawing absent patterns on Mac's lower back, and there was part of him that waned to just slip his fingers back inside Mac's body. He didn't, though, because he didn't want to hurt Mac and also they were sort of having a conversation. "I don't mind if he comes after me - gives me an excuse to punch him in the face."

"You have no idea how much I would love to see that," Mac murmured, snuggling closer and shivering a little. Jack kissed his hair and slid his hand lower, unable to stop himself, and something possessive coiled low in his stomach when he brushed his fingers over Mac's entrance that was still covered in Jack's come dripping out of him.

Mac made a soft sound in the back of his throat, and Jack felt his face go hot against his neck. "Jack," he whined, but it was not a protest, even though he squirmed a little. So Jack gave into temptation and pushed two fingers inside where Mac was sticky and slick from lube and come, groaning when Mac pressed a thigh between his legs in retaliation.

Mac’s arms were tightly wrapped around him, his fingernails digging into his shoulder blades, and he moaned into his neck, shuddering in Jack’s hold. Slowly, Jack started pumping his fingers in and out of him, swearing when Mac ground his thigh into his cock. Mac was soft and boneless in his arms, but he was gasping quietly, his hips rocking back and forth, and Jack couldn't wrap his mind around this, that Mac was letting him do this.

"Don't stop," Mac said, breathless against his throat, evidently feeling the hesitation in Jack's touch. "I... it feels good, Jack." He made a high-pitched sound when Jack's fingers probed deeper, finding his abused prostate and skating across it. His dick twitched against Jack's stomach, almost like it wanted to get back into the game. "Oh, _oh_ my god, J-Jack."

What was even more mind-blowing was the fact that Jack felt _himself_ start to get hard again, even though it hadn't been that long since the previous round. He started rolling his hips, grinding against Mac's thigh while fucking him with his fingers, loving the soft moans he kept letting out.

Jack let out a loud groan when Mac clenched around his fingers and he was fully hard at this point and what he did next... kind of happened without his control. Growling, he removed his fingers from Mac, ignoring his whine of protest, and he pushed him on his back, rolling on top of him. Grabbing Mac's thigh, he hitched it over his hip and pushed inside him in one swift motion, biting down on his neck.

Mac cried out right next to his ear and for a second Jack thought he had made a horrible mistake, but then Mac's arms wrapped around Jack's body. That seemed like a green light, so Jack started thrusting in and out of him lightly, but it wasn't long before his pace got rougher and deeper. Mac was sobbing next to his ear, little gasps and moans getting punched out of him, and Jack couldn't get enough of his wrecked voice and the way he was just willing to let Jack do whatever he wanted to him.

He slid his hand into Mac’s hair and tugged it hard, tilting his head back and baring his throat. Mac moaned loudly and Jack bites down on his throat, hard enough to leave a mark behind. “So good for me,” he growled, pounding into Mac and not slowing down. “So fucking good for me, you love this, don’t you?” Mac only cried out in response, sobbing when Jack slams into his prostate. “Look at you, takin’ it so pretty.”

It felt good, almost too good, like somebody was dragging a knife down Jack's spine, but he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. "_Jack_," Mac shouted, his nails scratching at Jack's back hard enough to leave red welts behind, and then he was coming for a third time. His back arched and a scream escaped him, and that was all Jack needed to see and hear. He shoved himself home once, twice more and then he was coming too, flooding Mac's insides again before he collapsed on top of him, completely spent.

He was completely breathless and his heart was beating so fast he was afraid it might jump out of his chest. "Holy fuck," he mumbled, his face mashed into Mac's neck, and he nuzzled the skin after a moment. "You good, baby?" he asked, but all he got in response was silence. "Mac?" he asked worriedly, and tried to push himself up, but Mac's arms tightened around him and didn't let him go.

"I never..." Mac started, but his voice broke, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "I never thought I'd meet someone that I'd... that I'd trust enough to just... _do_ what we just did, you know?" He blinked, and Jack was alarmed to see a tear roll down his cheek. "But you're... you're like nobody else I've ever met, Jack. And you might think that's a bad thing... but I don't. I think it's a fucking amazing thing."

Jack felt himself get emotional and he looked into Mac's eyes in search for pain or fear that would contradict his words... but he found none. He wipes the tear with his thumb and swallowed hard, still having trouble believing that Mac actually meant that. "I... I don't think I deserve that, you know," he started, his voice hoarse. "That trust. But if that's... if this thing with me is what you want then I'm gonna do my absolute best to be worthy of that."

Mac smiled at him and hugged him closer, sliding one hand up to Jack's neck to pull him in for a kiss. "I love you," he murmured, and Jack couldn't imagine a day when those words were going to cease sounding amazing when they were directed at him. "And you do deserve it, Jack." Another smile, wider this time. "Especially since you're not really the one who decides what you deserve - I am."

"I'm okay with that," Jack said quietly, nuzzling Mac's cheek before pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. He pulled out slowly, kissing Mac again when he hissed, but then he lied back on top of him since Mac didn't loosen his hold on him. "You sure you're okay?" Jack asked softly, running his fingers through his hair. "It wasn't... too much?"

"Jack, I'm fine," Mac replied, that pretty smile still on his face even as he pressed a kiss to Jack's palm. "If it was too much I would've said something, I swear." His hand was rubbing up and down Jack's back, heedless of his scars, touching them just like he was touching his skin. "When I can walk again I'll see if I can figure out something to help your leg."

"You don't have to do that," Jack murmured, his heart fluttering. "I'm used to it."

"But I want to," Mac said with a smile. "And I don't like the idea of you in pain when I can do something to prevent it." Jack had to kiss him after that, just a short, sweet kiss that made him feel warm all over.

He grinned down at Mac and then he chuckled when a loud whine sounded from behind the door. "He still lasted surprisingly long," he commented, kissing Mac's cheek. "What time do our guests get here tonight?"

"Bozer said their flight gets in around three o'clock, so he guessed they'd make it by six," Mac told him, reluctantly letting Jack go so he could put on his leg and open the door for Indiana. The dog plowed into the room and immediately jumped on the bed to wash Mac's face. "He also said - oh my _god,_ Indy - that Riley told him she could make my three hour drive a two hour one, so I don't really know..."

Mac was still talking, but Jack wasn't hearing him, his pulse roaring in his ears. What were the chances... a girl computer genius named Riley? There had to be more than one in the world... right?

"-but the roads may be snowed, so who knows how long it will actually- Jack?" Mac asked, but Jack barely heard him, standing naked in the middle of the room and staring at the wall. He did hear some shuffling and then felt a hand on his shoulder. "Jack, what's wrong?"

"What's her last name?" Jack asked in a trembling voice, swallowing the emotion welling up in his throat. "This... Riley, what's her last name?"

Mac's face scrunched like it did when he was thinking and he said, "Davis, I think? Why?"

Jack took two staggering steps and sat down on the edge of the mattress, Mac following him down with a hand on his cheek. "Remember I told you about the woman I dated - Diane? How she had a daughter? I think... I think it's her."

He heard Mac inhale sharply and then he framed Jack's face with both hands and made him look at him. "Jack, that's... maybe that's good?" he asked quietly. "You never told me what happened, but... I could tell you miss her when you mentioned watching Die Hard with her."

"Mac, you don't get it," Jack whispered, and he felt his eyes fill with tears. "She was twelve when I saw her for the last time. _Twelve_."

He could see Mac do some quick math. "She's about my age, right? A couple years younger? Jack, she's had a chance to grow up... what happened between you and her mom, I'm sure she'll understand once you explain it to her."

"I beat the shit out of her old man," Jack said, choking back a sob and swiping at his face to get rid of his tears. "That's not something you can just explain away, Mac."

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Mac replied, his voice still gentle as he grabbed one of Jack's hand with both of his. "What did he do?"

"He was Diane's ex and he... came to her house one night, completely hammered, started harassing her... I had to do somethin'," Jack said, squeezing his eyes shut. "I couldn't stand the thought of Diane being scared of me after that, so I... I left. And I abandoned Riles and I... god, Mac, I loved her like my own."

Mac frowned, tilting his head like he was confused. "But you were protecting them," he said, rubbing at Jack's shoulder. "Why would she have been afraid of you? I'm not."

Jack chuckled hoarsely and kissed Mac's cheek. "I know you aren't, baby... still don't know why not, but I appreciate it."

"I'm not afraid because I trust you. And I love you," Mac said, and then he tugged Jack until they were lying on the bed again and he pulled the covers over them. What Jack didn't expect, though, was Mac pulling him close and wrapping his arms around him, pushing him down so that Jack's head was resting on his chest. It was... nice, being held like that, Jack couldn't remember the last time it happened. "I'm sure Riley misses you just like you miss her," Mac murmured, stroking Jack's back with his hand.

"I'm not so sure," Jack whispered. "Do you think she... knows? Did you tell Bozer my name?"

Mac paused, wincing a little. "I did tell him, yeah. But maybe he didn't tell her?" That was flimsy and they both knew it, but Jack appreciated the gesture. "I'm sorry, Jack, if I had known - "

"Not your fault, darlin'," Jack muttered, pressing a kiss to Mac's skin. "You didn't know, and maybe... maybe it's better this way."

"Think of it this way: she knows and she's still coming, so... she must want to see you," Mac suggested, and while it made sense Jack felt like that would be too good to be true. Suddenly, he felt he was being stepped on and he rolled his eyes when Indiana gave up being sneaky (he had been crawling toward them for the last few minutes) and just plopped down on top of them.

"Jesus, dog," Jack grumbled, but secretly he was grateful for Indiana's affection and always had been. He scratched behind one of his ears and shoved at him playfully, grunting when he stayed put. "Hope you didn't wanna move right away, darlin'. I think our fuzzy blanket would have a problem with that."

"I didn't," Mac said, and when Jack looked at him he was smiling. "I'm not really in the mood for moving after what we just did," he added, and Jack nipped his jaw playfully. "Besides, I like having you so close." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jack's temple, laughing when Indiana huffed and nudges his hand with his nose. "Yes, both of you."

Of course it was right after he said that that there was a knock on the front door, followed by a voice that Jack unfortunately recognized: "Dalton, open up, it's Sheriff Wilson! I gotta talk to you about something - please don't bring the shotgun to the door."

Mac's happy expression fades and he pressed his lips together in a tight line. "Shit. My father must've sent him."

"Probably, although I don't see why," Jack grumbled. He crawled from under Indiana and put some clothes on, smiling a little when he glanced back on Mac and Indy. "Stay here, alright?" Mac nodded reluctantly and Jack walked out of the bedroom, heading for the front door.

Taking a deep breath, he opened it and glared at Wilson who was clearly trying not to look nervous, but failing. "What do you want?"

Wilson tipped his sheriff's hat before stuffing his hands back into the pockets of his coat. "To be honest with you, I don't rightly know," he said. "Got a tip that you were making some kinda ruckus out here, but I'm thinking that was bullshit. Piss off any of your neighbors lately?" He paused. "Or does this have something to do with that little scuffle down at Doris's diner this morning?"

"Wilson, you know damn well I don't have any fucking neighbors, so cut the crap," Jack drawled, leaning against the doorframe. "Of course it's about that asshole from the diner who hasn't learned yet that messin' with me is a very bad idea." He flashed Wilson a wide grin that was just teeth and wasn't really a smile at all. Sighing, he gestured around. "Ruckus, man? Seriously?"

Wilson glanced from left to right and sighed. "Yeah, fair point. What's that fella's deal, anyway?" Jack explained some of what James's "deal" was, and Wilson's eyebrows rose. "Well, fuck me sideways, he's some kind of asshole. Tell you what, I'll go have a little chat with him, maybe leave him a parking ticket on my way out. If this MacGyver kid's gonna hang around for a while, he'll learn we always have each other's backs. Even yours, Dalton."

Jack snorted a little, but secretly he felt... something warm when he heard that. "That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me," he commented, and he heard some shuffling behind him, and he knew Mac was nearby. "That dude's a vindictive son of a bitch, though, Wilson. I'll handle him."

"If you change your mind, let me know," Wilson said, and took the porch steps down to the ground. "If he calls in about you, I'll let you know." Then he got into his cruiser and drove back off down the driveway, even getting out to close the gate behind himself.

Jack watched him go before he slipped back inside, unsurprised to see Mac standing there in one of Jack's sweatshirts and some pajama pants. The look on his face was serious and a little worried, but Jack couldn't help but smile when he looked him over. He looked soft and adorable, and he was wearing _Jack's _clothes, so Jack didn't think he could be blamed for wrapping his arms around him and pulling him closer. "How much of that did you hear?" he murmured, nuzzling Mac's hair.

"Enough," Mac replied, sighing and pulling back to look at Jack. "A tiny part of me foolishly hoped he would leave, you know? But it sounds like he's still in town."

"Yeah, it does," Jack said, sighing too. He breathed in the smell of sunshine and ozone and tried to stay calm. "I'd say I can't believe that he sicced the sheriff on me, but it's honestly not that surprising."

Mac hummed and pressed himself closer, pushing his face into Jack's neck. "I just want him to go away."

"I know, baby, but I'm afraid it's not gonna be that simple," Jack murmured, wishing more than anything he could make James disappear once and for all. "Let's just hope that... that Riley will be able to help somehow." His voice cracked a little when he mentioned Riley, but he pushed through.

Mac hummed in agreement and they stood like that for a moment, not saying anything, and then Mac pulled back and gave Jack a small smile. "Maybe I could take a look at your leg now?"

Jack smiled back at him and led him over to the couch, sitting down and rolling up the leg of his sweatpants. "Go for it."

Mac sat on the couch and tugged the prosthetic into his lap, studying it while it was on and then removing it so he could see the stump and the leg separately. "You've definitely got some irritation in the scar tissue here," Mac murmured, fingers gently stroking over it. "I think I was right before, I can make something to help with this."

His gentle touch made Jack shiver a little and once again he couldn't believe that he actually got to have this - this relationship - with Mac. "That's incredibly sweet of you," he murmured, unable to stop himself. "Also, I'm intrigued now."

Mac just grinned at him, leaning down to kiss Jack's cheek. "I got some things when I was in town yesterday. Be right back."

He bounced up off the couch and went to rifle through the bags on the floor, and returned a moment later to spread some things out on the coffee table. Jack recognized super glue, foam insulation, and duct tape, along with an xacto knife. He had no idea what was happening but he was content to watch Mac work, and pretty soon he had a soft, cushiony disc that more or less fit perfectly inside the top of Jack's prosthetic.

He gently put the leg on Jack, checking if the cushion didn't get in a way, and then he leaned back to admire his work. "Alright, I _think_ that should help?" he said, tilting his head a little and looking like a golden retriever puppy. "Can you stand and see if it doesn't bother you? Or makes it worse?"

Jack swung his legs over the edge of the couch and stood, bracing himself for the little twinge that happens whenever he put weight on his right leg... but it didn't happen. "What the hell," he breathed out, eyes going huge, and he looked at Mac and grinned. "Baby, you're a goddamn genius."

Mac gave him this huge smile that was like sunshine and it seemed to light up the entire room. "Yeah? It works?" he asked, standing up and hugging Jack close, linking his fingers on his lower back.

"Hell yeah," Jack said, kissing Mac's cheek. "Can't believe you fixed it, you're amazing."

Mac flushed that pretty pink color and Jack looped his arms around his neck, tangling his fingers in his hair and tugging him in for a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered against his lips.

Mac smiles into the kiss. "You're welcome, Jack. I'm glad I could help."

They exchanged a few more sweet kisses and honestly, Jack felt so light that he was almost floating. They pulled back after a moment and Jack glanced at his watch, seeing they still had a bit of time. “I should go and check on the horses,” he said, smiling when Indiana bounced into the room since it was also time for him to go outside. “Wanna come?”

"Sure," Mac said, and got up first, offering Jack a hand to hold after they put on jackets and walked outside, snow crunching under their boots. The horses seemed to be in good shape, and Mac helped him change out their food and water and muck out the stalls. It was around that time that Mac's stomach growled and Jack laughed. "You want a late lunch? I could throw some nachos in the microwave when we get back."

“That would be great,” Mac said with a grin, leaning in to kiss Jack’s cheek. “Thank god you can cook, or we’d die here.”

“Looks like you got lucky,” Jack commented, petting Yoda when he walked up closer. "You could've ended up on the Roberts ranch, from how much time he spends at the diner I’m guessing the man doesn't cook at all.” He snorted. “He also looks like a barrel at this point.”

"I bet he's also not half as attractive," Mac said, slinking closer and putting his arms around his neck.

Yoda surprised both of them when he nuzzled at Mac's shoulder, wanting pets, and with a quick confirmation glance at Jack Mac scratches his nose. "You've just gotta way with all my animals, huh?" Jack teased, kissing his temple. "I guess it makes sense - they can tell you're willing to put up with me."

“I’m happy to put up with you,” Mac murmured. "I'm also happy that your animals approve - I guess they're like your kids and I hear it's important to get along with your boyfriend's children.”

“B-boyfriend?” Jack stuttered out, not even caring that his voice is shaking a little.

Mac raised an eyebrow. "What else would I call you? The last thing I'm going to do is say you're my partner, not while we're living on a ranch. Being a gunslinging cowboy just isn't my thing." He paused. "You don't mind, right?"

"Not at all," Jack replied in a whisper, hugging Mac just a little bit closer. "Haven't been anybody's boyfriend in a long time, that's all."

Mac smiles at him, that wide, gorgeous smile that never failed to knock the air out of Jack’s lungs. “Same here,” he murmured. “Never, actually. I don’t think that I've reached that stage with that one girl at MIT.”

Jack pressed his lips to Mac’s cheek and lingered a little, closing his eyes. It _still_ felt surreal, but there was no denying that Mac was real, that he was right here... and maybe he was here to stay.

His stomach growled again and Jack smiled, pulling back to kiss Mac on the lips. “Come on, I have to feed you. You’re too skinny and I don’t want the wind to blow you away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ♥


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Happy New Year everyone! We're getting closer to the end of this story and there are still a lot of interesting things happening, so I couldn't wait any longer and had to update :D
> 
> There's one more chapter to go after this one, we really hope you like it!

Just after it started to get dark Mac got a text from Bozer saying he and Riley were in town, and he bit his lower lip before wandering into the kitchen and tapping Jack on the shoulder. He was busy making meatloaf and sides, but turned around when he felt Mac's touch. "They're almost here," he said, and watched something like dread flood those pretty dark eyes. "Want me to go open the gate?"

"Would you mind?" Jack asked quietly, and when Mac shook his head he leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Of course," Mac murmured, and he grabbed his coat before he stepped out into the chilly December air. Christmas was about two weeks away, and he was thinking that maybe once Riley and Bozer settled in a little they could go buy some Christmas decorations for the house.

He went over to the gate and opened it, but headed back to the porch to wait for them. He texted Bozer and told him to go ahead and get the car on the property once they arrived, and he leaned against the wall of the house, breathing in the cold air. It was completely quiet and peaceful, and while Mac didn't believe in god, not really... he thanked whatever power there was for bringing him here. He smiled when he heard a scraping sound behind the door followed by Jack’s voice - Indiana wanted to go outside to join Mac, but he had decided to keep him inside for now. It was dark and he didn't want the dog to end up being run over and also Jack had mentioned Indiana didn't like strangers, so it was better to introduce him later.

A sedan pulled past the gate and up in front of the house, and Bozer was out of the car practically before it stopped. He ran up the steps and grabbed Mac, pulling him into a crushing hug. "Don't ever do that to me again," he mumbled near Mac's ear, and Mac felt himself tear up as he returned the embrace.

"I'm sorry, Boze," he whispered, and over Bozer's shoulder the car turned off and a woman got out from behind the wheel. She had long black hair with shades of pink streaked through the ends and was wearing a cranberry leather jacket and black skinny jeans with combat boots... and if Mac didn't know better, he would say she was Jack's biological daughter just from the way she dressed.

She was watching them, but then she looked at the house, her arms crossed over her chest... and from the expression on her face Mac suddenly knew that Jack had nothing to worry about. Bozer let him go after a moment and punched him lightly in the chest, and Mac couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't seen Bozer in person in... he wasn't even sure how long, so it was great to be not just on the same continent as him, but also the same town. "Man, I feel like strangling you," Bozer started, pointing at him. "But I'm too happy to see you, so I'm gonna let it go this time."

Mac grinned at him and clapped him on the shoulder. "I appreciate that, man."

There was a creaking from behind them and Mac felt Jack's warmth behind him. He sucked in a sharp breath, and when Mac glanced at him his eyes were wet and staring right at Riley. "Baby girl?" he said, his voice choked up, and between one blink and the next Riley was up the stairs and in Jack's arms, almost knocking him over with the force of her hug.

Jack was clearly surprised, but he hugged her tightly and buries his face in her hair, his eyes squeezed shut. "When I told her the name of this guy, she dropped the coffee mug she was holding," Bozer murmured, and Mac forced himself to look away from the happy reunion in favor of looking at his best friend. "I mean, what are the odds?" Bozer asked, and Mac was about to tell him when he saw Indiana slowly approach from the inside of the house, eyeing Bozer suspiciously.

Mac instinctively bent at the waist and held out a hand, which Indiana sniffed before head butting it and whining quietly. "It's okay, Indy, come on out," he said softly, and Indiana walked onto the porch.

Bozer raised his eyebrows. "Is that a dog or a bear?" he asked, and Indiana huffed like he had made a joke. But he bent down and offered a hand for him to smell, and was granted the opportunity to pat him on the head.

"Looks like you passed the test," Mac commented, scratching Indiana behind the ears when he came back to sit next to him. "That's Indiana." Bozer raised his eyebrows again and Mac smiled. "Jack loves movies."

"Then we're gonna get along!" Bozer exclaimed happily, and Mac glanced at Jack again. He was still hugging Riley, but now he was also murmuring something in her ear and she was nodding, so Mac guessed things are okay between them.

"Come on, I'll help you with the bags," he told Bozer, and they headed to the car, Indiana right there behind them.

While they were hauling the luggage inside - Mac was incredibly suspicious that Bozer had brought all the tools necessary to make pastrami - Mac told him about how James had tried to sic the local sheriff on Jack. Bozer snorted and shook his head as they stomped the snow off their boots and went into the guest room. "This guy just doesn't give up, huh? What a tool." He eyed the brand new bed and mattress. "Let me guess - this is for Riley and I get the couch?"

Mac winced a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes? I mean, you could share, I guess, but if not, then the couch is all yours. But it's actually one of those really comfortable ones, you should be fine," he said, remembering his first night on the ranch that he had spent on the couch.

"That's fine, man," Bozer assured him with a smile, patting his shoulder. "I don't mind the couch." They got back to the living room and Mac could hear Jack and Riley talking outside. "So, where's your room?" Bozer asked, looking around curiously.

Mac bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from cackling hysterically. "Uh... Jack and I share the master bedroom," he said, looking at Bozer guilelessly. "The bed's very comfortable."

Bozer stared at him for a moment, and then squeaked out in a tiny voice: "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"I don't know, Boze,” Mac said casually. “What do you think I'm saying?”

Bozer stared at him with wide eyes, his lips moving soundlessly, and in that moment Riley and Jack walked inside. “Maybe we should introduce me- what's going on?” Riley asked, stilling and smiling when Indiana walked up closer, curiously sniffing her boots. “Why does Bozer look like he's having a stroke?”

Mac waved a hand in front of Bozer's eyes, then snapped his fingers - no response. "I told him that Jack and I are dating and I think I broke him," he said, and carefully stepped around Bozer to extend a hand to Riley. "Hi, I'm Angus MacGyver. Most people just call me Mac." Riley smiled at him and went for a hug instead, which was fine with Mac - but as someone who was not always into being touched he liked to give people the option.

"I'm Riley, which I'm guessing you already knew," she said after pulling back, chuckling when she glanced at Bozer again. "Bozer told me so much about you."

"You were right, darlin'," Jack drawled, also coming closer and eyeing Bozer. "He does have the best reactions." In the meantime Indiana decided Riley was okay as well and bumped her hand with his nose.

She dropped into a crouch and pet Indiana, cooing at him and telling him he was a good boy. Indy was clearly smitten and started showing her all his toys like a child would, and Mac smiled at Jack and kissed his cheek. "See? I told you it would go well." He snorted. "Providing Bozer decides to get it together."

Jack looked at him with warm gaze and he looked so happy that Mac's heart was swelling. "It feels surreal," Jack murmured, glancing at Riley. "Feels like I'm dreamin'."

"It's all real," Mac said, kissing Jack's cheek again. He got lost in Jack's eyes for a moment, but then he turned around when Bozer made some kind of sound.

"You're... what?" he squeaked out, his eyes now shifting between Jack and Mac.

"We're dating, Boze," Mac told him, leaning into it when Jack wrapped an arm around him and pressed his lips to his temple. "You... that's not a problem, right?"

"O-Of course not," Bozer stuttered out, his eyes going huge. "I'm just... surprised as hell. You're, um... wow. I didn't know what your taste in guys was gonna be."

Mac chuckled under his breath. "He's exactly my type, although... I guess we never really talked about that stuff." He laughed when Bozer blinked and then shook his head.

"Oh, come on, Bozer, get over it!" Riley called out, and when Mac looked at her he let out a startled laugh because she was lying on the floor with Indiana sprawled on top of her.

The oven timer went off and startled all of them, and Jack let go of Mac in favor of darting over to the oven and exclaiming, "My meatloaf!"

Mac couldn't help but snicker and he punched Bozer's shoulder lightly. "Are we good?"

"Of course we are," Bozer replied, eyeing Jack's back. "Is he... are you happy?"

Mac bit his lower lip to stop himself from smiling too widely. "The happiest I've ever been, Boze," he said softly, smiling when Indiana abandoned Riley in favor of stalking Jack and hoping for some meatloaf. "Even with everything happening with my dad and Peña..." He swallowed. "He makes it all better."

Bozer smiled at him. "I'm happy for you, man. Wish I could find myself somebody like that... well, not somebody who's a dude and all grizzly and shit."

That made Jack guffaw from the kitchen, and when he turned around he offered Bozer a beer. "So what, I'm a bear? Like on those dating websites?"

"I didn't know you knew what dating websites were, Jack," Riley teased, snatching the beer when Bozer was too slow. "So when do I get to hack Mac's asshole dad?"

"Watch your tone, kid," Jack said, but his voice is warm and amused. "Maybe dinner first, then hacking?"

"Good point, hacking on an empty stomach always takes longer," Riley agreed, and they all made their way to the table. As soon as Mac sat down Indiana's head was on his thigh, so he just pet him and smiled at Jack when he put the food on his plate.

"So, Riley," he starts. "I'm assuming Bozer filled you in about my father?"

She nodded, frowning at him. "I'm really sorry about what happened, Mac... my dad can be a real prick, but he'd never do something like this to me." Her mouth curved up when she saw what Jack made. "My favorite from what I was a kid. You remembered."

"Of course I did," Jack said, squeezing her shoulder before he sat down too. "So Bozer, Mac's hardly told me anything about you. What do you do for a living?"

Bozer's eyes widened a little, but he recovered quickly, though Mac could tell Jack was barely hiding a smirk. “I’m... I work at this burger place, but that’s just a temporary gig, you know,” he started the story that Mac had heard a million times. "I'm actually making movies in my free time. Or trying to, at least."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Cool, dude. What kinda movies?"

"Uh, science fiction and horror, mostly," Bozer said, digging into his meatloaf.

"Huh," Jack said, and winked at Mac. "Maybe I oughta take you out into the woods tomorrow. That'd be a creepy place to film a movie. I wouldn't even charge you for using my property."

Bozer froze, his eyes even wider, and Mac was barely keeping it together. "Um, t-thanks, Jack, but I... I didn't really bring my equipment!" he said maybe a little too loudly, clearly relieved that he found an excuse.

"You sure?" Jack asked with a grin. "We could take a few horses out, go for a ride around the woods..."

"Oh, that would be fun!" Riley exclaimed, nudging Bozer with her elbow. "C'mon, don't be a wet blanket." She glanced around and frowned again. "Jack? Shouldn't you have Christmas decorations up by now?"

"Actually," Mac said, taking a sip of his own beer. "I was thinking we could all go pick some stuff out tomorrow."

"I have a few boxes of decorations somewhere in the attic, but they’re all old, so that’s a good idea," Jack added. “Not sure I should tag along though, people in town will think they lost their mind if they see me picking out Christmas decorations and actually interacting with people."

Bozer frowned a little and Mac rolled his eyes. "Jack’s a bit of a... terror around town. And a hermit."

Riley's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Seriously? I don't care what they think, you're coming with us - no arguments." Jack had his mouth open to interrupt her, but he snapped it shut, which was enough to make Mac snicker into his mashed potatoes.

Dinner was excellent and Jack even busted out some Oreos and milk for dessert, and it was around then that he asked Riley what she had been up to since he had seen her last and she got... squirmy. "I was... kind of in prison?" she said, wincing a little.

Jack froze, his eyes going huge, and he stared at her in shock. "What?"

"I... may have hacked the NSA?" Riley bites her lip, curling one of her locks on her finger. "It's... kind of a long story."

Mac looked between her and Jack and had it figured out immediately, so before he could think better of it he blurted out: "You were looking for Jack, weren't you?"

"Of course I was," Riley said quietly, looking down at her plate. "The CIA didn't have any information beyond that he got hurt on a mission... I wanted to know if he was okay."

"You... you knew I worked for the CIA?" Jack asked, his voice hoarse, and his eyes were suddenly more shiny than usually. "I'm... my cover was bathroom tile salesman," he clarified when both Mac and Bozer frowned.

"Of course I knew," Riley said softly, hesitantly looking up at Jack. "I mean, I've always suspected you were doing something else, but I figured it out when I got older. And I've tried to keep track of you." Jack still stared at her with wide eyes, looking completely speechless. "My mom hated it, but she couldn't exactly stop me," Riley continued, smiling wryly. "If she took my computer away I just went to a library or whatever and used theirs." Her face softened. "She misses you, you know. She won't say it, but I can tell."

And while Jack processed that, Mac suddenly felt sick. Was there a chance that Jack and Diane could reconcile? Was he in the way of that?

_Of course you are_, a snide voice whispered in his head and it was... it was right. Jack would probably be happier with someone his age and not a younger guy who was a walking disaster that came with a baggage in a form of nightmares and a controlling asshole father. And from what Jack had told him, things had gone bad with Diane because of what he had done to her ex, but after such a long time Jack could get a chance to have a family that he clearly had missed - Riley especially.

He kept those thoughts to himself and tried to focus back on the conversation but it wasn't the same. Once they were done eating he volunteered to wash the dishes in order to give Riley and Jack some more time to catch up. Bozer was playing with Indiana, and Mac wound up with his arms elbows deep in soapy water and his mind wandering to all sorts of bad places.

He knew that Jack loved him even though he had no idea why - but he believed him when he said those three words. But that didn't change the fact that Jack could do much better, that he deserved better, and while Mac was pretty sure Jack was the love of his life... it would be foolish of him to think that he could be Jack's. And if given a chance to get back with a woman he had had an important relationship with, Mac was pretty sure Jack would go for it - it wasn't like anyone had ever chose Mac.

He washed the dishes in something of a fugue state until all of a sudden he felt warmth behind him, right before he was enveloped in the scents of leather and gunpowder as Jack wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Hey, gorgeous," he murmured next to Mac's ear, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin behind it and making him shiver. "So this is where you slunk off to, huh?"

Mac wiped his hands on a dishcloth and leaned back against Jack, seeking more of his warmth... and enjoying it while it lasted. Jack hugged him closer and kissed the side of his neck before hooking his chin over Mac's shoulder. "You okay, baby?" he murmured, and Mac's heart clenched a little. "You've... quieted down at some point."

Mac licked his lips and debated lying, saying everything was fine, but he had a feeling Jack would see right through him. "I... Jack, are you sure that..." He trailed off, then tried again: "I'm probably overstepping here, but now that you've reunited with Riley... are you sure that this is what you want? That... that I'm what you want?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, and Mac heard confusion in his voice. He felt Jack try to turn him around him, but he resisted, knowing that he wouldn't get through this if he looked into Jack’s eyes.

"I mean..." Mac trailed off and swallowed hard. "You heard what Riley said. Her mom... she misses you. And maybe... maybe there’s a chance you guys could work it out." He exhaled shakily. "You could have a family. Spend more time with Riley, I know you miss it and that family... I can’t exactly give you that." He blinked rapidly, trying to stop the tears welling up in his eyes. "All I have to offer is a psychopath father and a PTSD."

This time when Jack turned him around Mac didn't resist, and his eyes fluttered shut when Jack pressed their lips together in a kiss. "Baby, I love you," Jack murmured, one hand coming up to touch Mac's cheek. "Diane was... we were good for a while but we weren't good for each other, you know what I mean? And I care about her, but because she's Riley's mom, not for any other reason." He looked at Mac with those brown eyes, warm and soft in the yellowish light of the kitchen. "You're the person I want to be with, Mac. None of that stuff with your dad matters."

Mac searched Jack's eyes, but all he found there was honesty and affection. "You... you're sure?" he asked quietly, his hands resting on Jack’s shoulders. In response Jack leaned in and kissed him again, lingering for a moment, but the kiss stayed chaste and sweet, nothing more. "I'm... I'm sorry," Mac whispered, looking away. "It's just... I'm not used to people choosing me."

Something in those eyes went sad, but there was understanding in them too. "You don't need to be sorry, darlin'," Jack whispered just as quietly, nuzzling at Mac's cheek. "But from now on, just know that I'm always going to choose you, okay? That's not even a question in my mind."

"I love you so much," Mac said, sliding his arms around Jack's neck and pulling him closer. "I know I already told you that, but... you're really like no one else I've ever met." He pressed his lips to Jack's stubble and closed his eyes, inhaling the smell of gunpowder and leather. It had become such a comforting smell to him in no time and he already couldn't imagine his life without it. And without Jack. "I'm... would it be too weird if I told you I want to stay here forever? The ranch, I mean."

Jack ran his fingers through Mac's hair, nails scratching lightly against his scalp. "That's not weird at all," he replied, then hesitated. "I think... maybe when this thing with your old man is taken care of... could we... I've only ever been to Los Angeles for work, and I'd like to see this house you keep telling me about. But if you want to come back here afterward... if this is where you wanna live, you know I'm not gonna say no."

"I think I’d like to go back to LA to visit," Mac murmured, and in that moment he realized something. "But... it may sound crazy, but I think that I want to come back here. Because it feels like... like home. But maybe that’s because of you."

Jack gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek and then his jaw. "Then that's what we're gonna do," he whispered. "All I know is that ain't leaving your side unless you tell me to."

"That's not going to happen," Mac told him, and reeled him in to kiss him on the lips again. He glanced over Jack's shoulder and noticed Bozer was watching them not-so-subtly from where he was joined Riley and Indy in the living room.

Riley opened up the huge backpack she had been carrying and pulled out a complex-looking laptop rig, then raised her voice: "Jack, what's your Wi-Fi password?"

Jack looked mildly embarrassed before he replied, "JohnMcClaneRules1975."

Mac chuckled, not at all surprised, and it looked like Riley had expected something like that as well because she just smiled and didn't say anything. They went back to the living room and settled on the couch while Riley sat cross-legged on the floor with her laptop on the coffee table.

"Let's do some hacking," she said with a wide grin, and in that moment Mac was a little afraid of her. "What was the name of that thing your old man works at?"

"DXS," Mac replied, letting out a surprised "oof" when Bozer plopped down on his other side. He was now sandwiched between his best friend and boyfriend, and he could sense that they were having some kind of weird staring contest behind his head. "I have zero idea what it stands for, but from what I gathered it's pretty secretive."

"A lot of government agencies are," Riley said, tapping away at her keyboard. "Plausible deniability and all that shit."

He gave Bozer a warning glance and placed his hand on Jack’s thigh, squeezing it lightly. "Well, here we go," Riley started, her fingers dancing on the keyboard. "DXS, based in Los Angeles... listed as a think tank, but we all know it’s bullshit. Government agencies often use other institutions as covers."

"She's right," Jack confirmed, wrapping his arm around Mac's shoulders. "And think tanks are a pretty popular choice."

"I'm not sure why, most people don't even believe that think tanks are a real thing," Mac said, and leaned his head against Jack's shoulder. "Is he the director?"

"No, that's a woman named Patricia Thornton," Riley said, her brow furrowing. "But we know he's in here somewhere, I just have to find him... and everybody gets paid." Her fingers moved faster, and she went quiet for a while, even when Indiana came over and put his head in her lap.

"Check for some fancy nickname or somethin'," Jack suddenly said, and when Mac looked at him questioningly, he explained, "Sometimes these things have these... secret supervisors. People that are really in charge, but want to keep their identity a secret? That director lady probably has some power, but is mostly for show."

"What about Oversight?" Riley asked. "Seems like he's the right age, and he's the one actually pulling the strings." More typing. "Yep, it's definitely him. Let me get your stuff back first, Mac, and then I'll dig up some dirt on him." It only took her a few minutes to restore all of Mac's assets, and then she was digging through his father's files. "Hmmm... looks like he ordered the rescue of a captured soldier in Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of a bunch of Marines."

Mac froze and tensed because... it couldn't be. But at the same time it made sense and he suddenly felt sick. "Mac, what-" Jack started, no doubt feeling Mac go all tense, but he didn't get a chance to finish.

"When was that?" Mac interjected, somehow managing to keep his voice from shaking. "When did the rescue mission happen?"

Riley told him the date and Mac went cold all over, trembling where he was pressed against Jack's side. "That was for me," he said in a whisper, his voice cracking with guilt. He wondered absently if this would be the thing that managed to drive both Bozer and Jack away from him. "He... he got those men killed for me. He _knew_ they would die and he did it anyway."

He felt Jack tense against him and he barely stifled a whimper, pretty sure this was it. "You were captured?" Jack asked quietly, and... that was not what Mac had expected him to say. He heard Bozer inhale sharply in surprise - he had made sure to keep this little detail from all the emails, not wanting him to worry. "What happened?" Jack's voice rumbled close to his ear and much to Mac's surprise, Jack's arm tightened around him.

"I... it wasn't a big deal," Mac said, swallowing hard. "There was... maybe some waterboarding involved, but I wasn't going to tell them anything."

"That's what made it a big deal, Mac," Riley said quietly. "You wouldn't tell them anything and you were gonna die if you stayed there any longer."

Jack made a tiny, wounded sound, but Mac barely heard it. "So what, I'm supposed to be grateful he saved my life?" he asked, his chest tight with guilt. "We all know he didn't do it because he cared about me." He slipped from under Jack's arm and sat up straight. "These soldiers were _killed_ because of me, because of my father did, and I'm supposed to be okay with it?" he asked, his voice a little hysterical as he jumped to his feet. "I think I'd rather be dead." He ignored the gasps coming from everyone and stormed off in the direction of Jack's - well, their - bedroom, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it as he slid down on the floor.

Tears slipped silently down his face as he stared at the bed, curling in on himself against the hurt and anger he felt. He didn't know how long he stayed like that, but eventually there was a knock on the door behind him. "Mac? It's me," Bozer said quietly. "Jack took off right after you left - I think he headed out to the barn? I wanted to see if you were okay."

Mac's heart broke because of course Jack had left - he probably couldn't stand to be close to him after finding out good soldiers had died because of him. Sniffling, he got up, opening the door, and he moved to sit on the bed. Bozer quietly entered the room and sat next to him, not saying anything and apparently waiting for Mac to speak. "No, I'm not okay, Boze," Mac whispered after a moment. "How am I supposed to be?"

Bozer looked at him for a moment before he shook his head. "I don't know, man." He wrapped his arms around Mac's shoulders and gave him a hug, which Mac leaned into. "You've gotta know that what happened wasn't your fault, right? You were tortured, Mac... and what your dad did wasn't right, but... I'd pick you every time. And not for the reasons he did."

Mac felt more tears in his eyes, so he squeezed them shut to prevent the tears from falling. "Thanks, Boze," he whispered, and then he pulled back, wringing his fingers. "I'm... did Jack say why he left?"

"No, he just stood up and left," Bozer said quietly, and Mac felt his lower lip tremble. "But maybe... you should go and talk to him?" His best friend suggested. "I may not know him and he may scare me a little... but I've seen how he looks at you."

That got a small smile out of Mac. "You're probably right." He stood up and squeezes Bozer's shoulder, and they walked out together into the living room.

The front door was open, and Riley was walking back inside with Indiana. "Jack's not out with the horses," she reported, and Mac's heart sank. "One of them is gone, and there's tracks leading toward the woods."

Mac swallowed hard, but quickly made up his mind. "Stay here, alright? Make yourself at home," he told Riley and Bozer, and he grabbed Jack's leather jacket he had been wearing earlier. He went outside, whistling for Indiana to follow him, and headed for the horse barn. Just like he had thought, the missing horse was Yoda, so he quickly saddled Sharona and climbed up on her and nudged her out of the barn. It was dark and he didn't have a flashlight, but thanks to the snow and full moon he could see quite well, so he followed the tracks Riley had mentioned, Indiana running in front of Sharona.

Soon he was surrounded by trees on all sides and the path narrowed considerably, almost like the shadows were closing in on him. He shivered inside Jack's coat but pressed on, squeezing Sharona's side to prompt her to go faster. He yanked on her reins a moment later when he saw the black shine of Yoda's coat. "Whoa, girl, easy," he soothed when she whinnied and he hopped off her, petting Yoda's flank when he reached him. "Where's Jack, buddy?"

Yoda didn't reply, obviously, and just neighed quietly. It was almost completely dark and when Mac glanced around Jack was nowhere to be seen, but he noticed that Yoda's reins were tied to a tree which meant Jack was planning to come back - he wouldn't have left his horse like that forever. Mac made sure Sharona wouldn't walk away either and he bent down to pet Indiana's head. "Alright, buddy, you're up. Where's Jack? Come on, find Jack."

Indiana was no bloodhound, but he recognized Jack's name and Mac's distress and barked once before he took off. Mac jogged after him, careful not to trip on any rocks or exposed roots, and relief flooded his chest when he saw Jack crouched near a tree. "Jack! There you are! Are you okay?"

Jack startled and jumped to his feet, turning around, and Mac could barely see him, but he saw how his eyes widened. "Mac?" Jack asked, his voice hoarse. He didn't move, just stood still and stared at Mac, not even acknowledging Indiana who was whining next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," Mac told him, taking a few steps closer and now he was able to see that Jack had been crying. He felt his own eyes widen and he closed the distance between them, emotion clogging his throat. "Jack? Babe, what's... what's wrong?"

Jack let out a bitter chuckle and shook his head, taking a small step back and looking away. Mac wanted to touch him more than anything, but right now he didn't think Jack would want that, so he stayed still and swallowed down the hurt he felt when Jack had stepped back. "You shouldn't be here, darlin'," Jack murmured, leaning against the tree and staring ahead.

"Here the woods or... here the ranch?" Mac asked, squeezing his hands in fists to stop them from shaking.

Jack looked at him, eyes gone wide. His hand twitched like he wanted to reach out but he didn't , slapping his palm back against the bark. "Here the woods... I want you here, I told you that," he said, and Mac was confused. Before he could voice it, Jack started talking again. "This is... this is where I buried him. You're standing on it, actually."

Mac nodded a little, unsurprised, because he actually had thought of that when Riley said Jack had headed into the woods. But it still didn't explain why he had taken off so abruptly and why now. "Okay... but why did you come here?" Mac asked quietly, stepping closer, exhaling in relief when Jack didn't move away. "Why... I mean, I know I kinda lost it back there," he said, wincing a little. "But why did you run here? And why are you crying?"

"I'm crying because I love you so fucking much and you said back there that you wished you were dead," Jack snapped, and there was enough venom in his voice to make Mac flinch. "Do you have _any_ idea what I'd do to keep you alive? To rescue you if you were captured? I would've killed those Marines _myself_ if it meant you would live." He turned away, rubbing a hand over his face. "And I was thinking about how fucking toxic that is, and how much you'd hate me for it... and I wound up here."

"I could never hate you, no matter what," Mac whispered, while his mind was spinning in circles. He was trying to process what he had just heard and he still hated the idea of someone dying for him, but he also put himself in Jack's shoes, imagining what he would do if something happened to Jack... and he swallowed hard when he suddenly understood where Jack was coming from. "Look, I'm... I get it," he started quietly, slowly reaching out to wrap his fingers around Jack's wrist. "Where you're coming from, I mean. I... I get it."

Jack looked at him and turned his hand so he could hold on to Mac's. "You do?"

"Yeah, and I'm... I'm sorry I said what I did back there," Mac continued, squeezing Jack's fingers with his own and stepping closer, smiling a little when Jack did too. "I didn't really mean it, I was just angry. I still am, but not with you."

"I love you," Jack said quietly. "I know I'm repeating myself, but I do, I love you so much, I need you to know that." He let go of Mac's hand, but only so that he could wrap his arms around his waist and pull him closer. "And I'd turn the world upside down if it meant saving you. But I get why you're angry, baby - your old man saved you, but only because you're his... little project. I can't even imagine how much this must suck."

Mac sighed, pressing his lips against Jack's cheek and slipping his arms around his neck. "It sucks a lot, but I'm... I'm so happy I have you to help me through it, Jack, I really am." He leaned in and kissed Jack on the lips this time, smiling when he kissed back, their lips moving together slowly. Indiana came over and walked circles around them before he sat in the snow and whined for Jack's attention.

They broke apart and Jack untangled himself from Mac a little to scratch Indiana behind his ears. “Hey, good boy,” he murmured, and Indiana leaned into his touch, whining again. “Sorry for ignoring you earlier, buddy. You brought Mac to me, right? You found me? Such a good boy,” he praises, and Indy barked happily.

Mac smiled and kissed Jack again when he was done with petting the dog, lingering for a moment before pulling back and resting his forehead against Jack’s. “I love you too, by the way.”

"I know you do," Jack said, squeezing Mac's waist before tugging him toward the horses. "Let's get back to the ranch, yeah? Maybe we can fool around a little bit without the others hearing, huh?"

Mac felt his face burn in the cold air and he checked Jack's hip with his own. "You're terrible," he teased, and when they got back to the horses he pet Yoda again. "And this guy helped me find you, too."

"Yeah? Did he tell you to hurry and find me because he’s freezing his ass off?" Jack murmured, petting Yoda as well and rolling his eyes when the horse huffed. "Yeah, yeah, sorry about that."

They got on their horses and headed back to the ranch, the horses going faster on their own because of the cold. Indiana was running around, unbothered by the cold and barking happily, but Mac had to side with the horses on this one - it was freezing and he wanted to be inside already. Once they were back in the barn they locked up the horses and after making sure they were all good Jack grabbed Mac's hand and tugged him outside.

They kissed a few times on their way back to the house, and it was during one of these times that Mac noticed the front door was wide open. "Jack," he started, stopping in his tracks, and glanced back toward the fence where they had strung up the tin can alarms... which were lying on the ground, their wires carefully cut.

Mac went cold all over and it had nothing to do with the weather, but before he could react Jack was grabbing him by the shoulders to get his attention. "Mac, listen to me," he said, expression intent but grim. "You need to run, okay? Straight back into the woods the way we came. I'll find you once I... take care of whatever your daddy brought with him."

"No, Jack, I'm not leaving you," Mac immediately protested in a hushed voice, looking between Jack and the house. "I'm not going-"

"Baby, _please_," Jack pleads, his eyes wide, and he moved one hand to cup Mac's cheek. "I can't... I can't do my thing if I'm worried about losing you. You need to go, please."

And Mac hated it, hated it more than anything, but he saw Jack's point and the last thing he wanted was to get Jack hurt by distracting him. "Okay," he whispered, one tear rolling down his cheek as his heart broke.

Jack pulled him in for a short kiss. "Good. Go, take Indy with you."

Nodding, Mac sniffles and started running, Indiana following him after Jack told him to, and after a while they reached the woods and disappeared in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ♥


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god.
> 
> Here we are, the last chapter. I can't believe it's really over! I just wanted to thank you, also on Sammy's behalf, for the amazing response to this fic! We love all your comments :D
> 
> Sorry if there are any typos here, I'm sick so my brain is not really working that great right now.
> 
> See you soon!

Once he was sure Mac was safe, Jack took in a deep breath and stretched out his three remaining limbs before he reached for the knife he kept strapped to his ankle. He couldn't go in the front door, but he needed to get a look at what was happening inside so he went around the side of the house and found the living room window that had the curtains mostly pulled. There was a little space for him to look through, and rage flared hot in his stomach when he saw Riley and Bozer were being held at gunpoint by two men in black tactical and James. There had to be more thugs wandering Jack's property, though, and it made sense to take them out first.

Getting rid of bodies would be difficult, but Jack was more than ready to kill if he had to - anything to protect Mac and Riley, even Bozer. He heard soft footsteps coming from around the corner, so he held his breath and when an armed man appeared Jack punched him hard in the stomach and before the guy could react Jack had his arm around his neck. He could have easily snapped it, but he decided against it and squeezed tight, and a moment later the man slid unconscious to the ground. He had zip ties on him so Jack tied him up and also gagged him, rolling him aside to hide him, and then he grabbed his gun.

That was one down, and Jack was guessing he had seven to go, including the two inside. Normal squad of six plus two extra since James had known he would need people in the house with him - and right as Jack thought that he ran into another one. This guy he pistol-whipped across the face and he went down hard, not even twitching when Jack kicked his weapon away into some scrub brush. He kept going, stalking around his own house like the predator he was, and spotted two more goons lurking by the barn. They must not have been there a moment ago because they would have seen him and Mac, but they would have to go next.

He slowly made his way toward them, rounding the barn so that he could sneak up on them. Once he was directly behind them he whistled quietly and when the goons spun around he punched one hard and kicked the other one with his good leg, and while those guys were good... Jack was better. After a few moments of struggling and throwing a few more punches the goons weren't moving anymore, lying on the ground like sacks of potatoes.

Four down, two left outside... but where? Nowhere they could see their friends or Jack would have been full of holes by now. Maybe by the garage? He headed in that direction, heard movement the closer he got... and realized one of the fuckers was sitting on the hood of his GTO. "Oh hell no," he muttered, and he picked up a rock and tossed it at the side of the garage. It made a satisfying sound and got the attention of one guy who elected to check it out on his own, which was just fine in Jack's book.

He grabbed another rock and sneaked up on the bastard and when he got close enough he hit him hard in the head. The thug was groaning as he went down so Jack stroke him again, satisfied when this time the hit knocked him out. "And there was one..." he murmured, hiding by the garage and slowly looking around, searching for the last idiot. He spotted him not far from the gate and he used the same trick with the rock to get him closer, kneeing him in the balls and knocking him out with the gun he had taken from the first guy.

Jack headed to the back door of the house, which was always locked but there was an easy way to jimmy it open. He did that nearly silently and crept through the kitchen, missing all the squeaky floorboards and pressing his stolen gun to the back of James's head. "You've got a lot of nerve coming back here," he growled, and the two guys with their guns trained on Riley and Bozer snapped to attention but didn't know who to point at.

James didn't flinch, but Jack could see the tension in his shoulders. "Dalton. Fancy meeting you here," he said, his gun still pointed ahead. "Do a smart thing and give yourself up, or it won't end well for you. And tell me where Angus is while you're at it."

"No can do, hoss," Jack replied, a casual air to his voice that he didn't feel. "On either count, so I'm gonna propose an alternative: you put your gun down and tell your men to do the same, or I blow your brains out. Simple as that." He paused. "Well, except for the fact that it'll be a big mess and get all over Bozer. Sorry, Bozer - I know we just met, but I gotta do what I gotta do."

"It's- it's fine, Jack," Bozer squeaked out, his voice shaking, and damn, he must be terrified. Same with Riley, although she wasn't showing any of it, staring back at James with such a cold glare that it made Jack proud.

"Do you think I'm an idiot, Dalton?" James scoffed. "Your entire property is crawling with my men. You're outnumbered, so I'd reconsider if I were you. Why do you even care?" James asked, his voice curious. "Why do you care about a random kid that showed up at your ranch? You'll find someone else to work for you, just give me Angus and we never have to see each other again."

"Your guys are all down for the count, asshole," Jack said, and from the way James stilled he hadn't expected that. "Did you really think _I'd_ be such an idiot that I wouldn't take them out first before I came in to deal with you? And as for why I care about _Mac_, that's none of your damn business."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear: the front porch squeaked and the next thing Jack knew the goons holding guns on Riley and Bozer were down on the floor with crossbow bolts sticking out of their shoulders. Mac walked through the door holding Jack's old crossbow, which he hadn't even known was still on the property, and he had it reloaded and aimed at his father.

"I told you to run," Jack pointed out, but he was unable to stop himself from smiling and he knew it was also audible in his voice.

"And I did," Mac replied. "But I came back. Told you I wasn't going to leave you." He gave Jack a small smile before it faded away when he turned to glare at his father. "Look who's outnumbered now, dad. Put the gun down."

"Angus, you're not exactly proving those army doctors wrong," James warned, making no move to drop his weapon. He had it trained squarely on Bozer, but he was looking at Mac, seemingly happy to ignore the fact that Jack was still ready to shoot him. "What the hell is wrong with you, son? Why do you insist on staying with this... _degenerate_?"

"Because I'm in love with him!" Mac snapped, his voice cracking with ire as his hands tightened on the crossbow. Jack hadn't expected Mac to drop _that _bomb, but he couldn't say he minded. "And even if I wasn't," Mac continued when James was apparently too shocked to reply right away, "even if we were just friends, I'd never go back with you. This ranch is... it's home. A safe place to land that I needed more than anything after everything that happened. That I still need."

There was a long stretch of silence from James, so long that Jack wondered if he had had a stroke or something. "Maybe I was wrong about you, Angus," he eventually said, and Jack immediately didn't like the tone of his voice. "Maybe you aren't special. Maybe you're just as dumb as all those other boys who go over there and risk their lives, hmmm? Because no son of mine that inherited my genius would decide that shacking up with a lunatic is a good idea!" He was all but screaming now, spittle flying, and even from behind him Jack could see his face was puce. "Maybe you should've died instead of those Marines! Or instead of Peña - at least he had a family to go home to, instead of a depraved killer."

Jack was barely keeping himself from punching James and/or pulling the trigger, but he held himself back because of Mac. When he glanced at him, Mac's hands shook a little before he gripped the crossbow even tighter... and something shifted in those blue eyes that were colder than Jack had ever seen them. "Mac," he said in a warning, because he knew that look, he _recognized _that look and he didn't want Mac to do anything he might regret.

"You can say whatever you want about me," Mac growled, his voice low and dangerous. "But don't you _dare_ say all that shit about Jack."

"Oh, I'm sorry," James said, in a way that implies he wasn't sorry at all. "I'm not allowed to talk about my pathetic son's even more pathetic boyfriend - "

A loud _snap_ echoed through the room as the crossbow fired again, and Jack took an automatic step back and to the side so James's corpse fell on the floor. The bolt was sticking out of his chest and it must have hit his heart since it had killed him instantly.

Jack's mind and body started working in tandem, doing damage control despite his emotional distress. "Cover your ears," he told Bozer and Riley, and fired two quick shots into the heads of the men on the floor. Then he jogged through the house and out the back door, dispatching the other men in the same way.

Once he was done he stopped to take a deep, calming breath. They now had nine bodies to get rid of and they had to do it now while it was still dark. Jack might not have any neighbors, but dragging bodies around during the day was something he wasn't going to do.

He went back to the house where he found Mac staring at his father's body with a blank look on his face. "I... I told Bozer and Riley to wait in the guest room," he said quietly. "They seemed pretty shaken up." That was probably an understatement, but the first person Jack needed to take care of was Mac. "Oh, I locked Indiana in the barn. I didn't want those guys to shoot him."

"Okay, Mac, those are both good things," Jack said softly, putting the gun down on one of the bodies. They would have to get rid of the weapons too. He took a few steps closer, until he could put himself in Mac's line of sight, blocking his view of his father's body. "Baby, talk to me? I'm so sorry it came to this, I really am - I was hoping Riley hacking him would be enough."

"Hmm, what?" Mac asked, looking up at Jack. "I'm fine, Jack. Now that I think about it, I think I always knew that he would never stop harassing us unless he was dead." There was zero emotion in his voice or in his eyes, and that scared Jack a little. "We need to get rid of the bodies," Mac said, setting the cross now aside. "Nine, right? Tell me how to help."

Jack forced himself to think tactically, even though all he wanted to do right now was wrap Mac up in his arms and hide him away from the world. "There's a backhoe out in the garage," he said. "You know how to drive one?" When Mac nodded, Jack continued, "Then you're gonna go get it and meet me out in the woods. I'll load the bodies into the truck and we'll... we'll dig a trench and dump them in. I sincerely doubt this was an on the books mission for DXS, so they won't know what happened to James or the others."

"Okay," Mac said with a nod, and then he was gone. Jack sighed, knowing that once everything hit him it wouldn't be pretty, but for now he needed to focus on what needed to be done. He hauled the bodies outside - they would need to wash off the blood later - and then followed Mac to the garage to get the truck. Mac already hah the backhoe running and was driving out of the garage, so Jack gestured at him to head to the woods.

He got into the truck and started driving around, collecting the bodies, and then he stopped by the barn. He went inside where Indiana greeted him anxiously, whining and cuddling close, licking his hands. "Shh, it's all good, buddy," Jack murmured, and then took him outside and opened the car door so that Indy could jump into the passenger seat, and then Jack got behind the wheel and drove toward the woods.

Mac met him deep in the woods with the backhoe, and together they decided there was a ditch that was a good spot for the mass grave. Mac dug it out with the backhoe and then he and Jack dumped the bodies and the guns out from the tailgate. Once that was done it was simple to use the dirt to cover them up, and they were buried deep enough that no animals should be able to get to them. Jack threw some branches and other brush over it haphazardly to make it look as natural as possible, and he had to say they had done a decent job.

It was almost completely dark since the full moon had gotten covered by huge, dark clouds, and Jack realizes it was starting to snow. It was good, if it snowed all night the snow would cover the tracks and the grave - and it wasn't like anyone else was going to show up here and question it. "Alright, I think we're done," Jack told Mac, watching him carefully for any signs of distress or panic, and still finding none. "Let's go back."

Mac nodded, and while he seemed just fine, Jack knew that wouldn't be the case once reality sank its teeth into him. They went back and replaced the backhoe in the garage, and Jack pulled the truck in there too - in the morning he would hose out the bed just in case. After, he and Mac and Indy went into the house and Jack put a careful hand on Mac's shoulder. "Why don't you go check on Bozer and Riley? I'll clean up in here."

"I can help," Mac said, trying to go into the kitchen, but Jack's hand stopped him.

"Mac, you should talk to them, see if they're okay," Jack said softly. "They're probably wondering what's going on out here. I can handle this. Go, take Indy with you." Mac looked like he wanted to argue, but after a moment he nodded and walked away, disappearing in the guest room with Indy.

Sighing, Jack went to the kitchen and grabbed the cleaning supplies from a cabinet under the sink. It wasn't the first time he had cleaned up blood and it wouldn't be the last, but it never got any less grisly or smelly. Luckily nothing had gotten on the furniture, and as soon as he was done Jack stripped out of all his clothes and added them to the trash bag so he could burn everything later. Then he headed for the bathroom... and wasn't surprised when Mac slipped in and joined him.

He still had that blank look on his face and his blue eyes, usually warm and sparkling, were now scarily empty. "Hey there," Jack murmured, squeezing Mac's wrist before letting go and turning on the water. "I was going to take a shower to wash everything off. How's Bozer and Riley?"

"They'll be okay, I think," Mac replied, and suddenly there was a fine tremor in his voice. "Bozer was more shaken up than Riley - I'm sure she saw some stuff in prison." He stripped out of his clothes and followed Jack into the shower... and that was where he broke. Tears started streaming down his face as he let out a gut wrenching sob, wrapping his arms around his middle.

Jack immediately stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Mac, hugging him tightly. Mac buried his face in his neck and let out another loud sob, curling against Jack as he shook uncontrollably in his arms. "I've got you," Jack murmured into his hair, knowing that Mac needed to let it all out. "I'm not goin' anywhere, I've got you."

Mac cried for several minutes and Jack just held him, kissing his hair or his temple occasionally and swaying back and forth a little under the warm water. He rubbed his back and nuzzled at the soft skin behind his ear. "I love you, baby," he whispered, squeezing him around the waist. "I love you so much."

Mac's sobs got quieter after a moment and eventually they stopped. Sniffling, Mac pulled back and now instead of being empty, his eyes were a little wild, wide and staring at Jack... and then he was being pushed against the wall in the shower and Mac's mouth was on his, his tongue pushing between his lips.

Jack made a surprised sound and slid one hand up Mac's back into his hair. He tangled his fingers in the strands and tried gently tugging him back, but that didn't work. After a moment of intense kissing Jack turned his head and broke away, sucking in a deep breath before he looked at Mac with wide eyes. "Baby, what was that? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not," Mac whispered, moving even closer and crowding Jack against the wall. His hands were sliding up and down Jack's chest, his fingertips pressing against his scars, and Mac nuzzled Jack's stubble before nipping on his jaw. "Make me forget," he murmured before pressing their lips together again in a hard kiss... but Jack didn't kiss back this time, gently pushing Mac away.

"I can't do that, darlin'," he whispered, moving the hand that was in Mac's hair to cup his cheek. "There's gonna be no forgetting what happened today." He leaned in to kiss him, soft and chaste this time, and then pulled Mac in to hug him tightly. "But if you want a little lovin' from me... maybe we could move to the bedroom and free up the shower for somebody else?"

"Okay," Mac whispered after a moment, sounding small and tired, and Jack's heart broke for him. He squeezed him one more time before he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, and Jack handed Mac a towel before grabbing one for himself. They didn't have any clean clothes to put on, so they wrapped the towels around their waists and moved to the bedroom where Mac just... dropped on the bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress, looking lost.

"I'll be right back," Jack murmured, and kisses his forehead before putting on sweatpants and stepping into the hallway. He ran into Riley there who immediately pulled him into a hug, and he was aware of Indiana quietly passing them and disappearing in the bedroom. "You good, baby girl?" he asked softly, and she nodded, much to his surprise - or maybe not, he had always known she was tough.

"I'll be fine," she whispered back. "I told Bozer we can share the bed tonight. I don't think he'd get any sleep on the couch in the room where everything happened."

"That was nice of you," Jack said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Go ahead and use the shower, tell Bozer he can too. I'm gonna go lock up the house and then see if I can help Mac."

She went into the bathroom and Jack waited until he heard the water start before he took a walk around the house, frowning when he saw the front door was off its hinges. He propped it back up and moved a heavy end table in front of it - he could fix it in the morning. Then he headed back to the bedroom and to Mac.

He wasn't surprised to see that Mac hadn't moved, or that Indiana was now on the bed right next to him. Mac's hand was absently scratching him behind his ears and they both looked up when Jack shut the door behind him. He walked up to the bed and sat on Mac's other side, grabbing his free hand. "You want somethin' to wear?" he asked quietly, rubbing soothing circles into Mac's skin with his thumb.

Mac shook his head and squeezed Jack's fingers. "I... I just wanna be close to you," he whispered, and if it were possible for Jack's heart to break anymore it would.

"Okay, baby," Jack replied, and he left Indy on the bed for now, unsure if Mac wanted to pick up where they had left off in the shower or not. He maneuvered himself and Mac under the covers and held him close to his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

Mac slid his hand down Jack’s chest and curled his fingers around his hip bone, squeezing a little. He turned his head to press his lips to his chest before shifting so that he could kiss Jack’s neck next. Jack didn't move, waiting for Mac’s next move, and he shivered when Mac nipped on his collarbone and climbed on top of him, his lips pressed to his throat as he tossed his towel away.

Jack ran his hands up and down Mac's back, making a soft sound when Mac scraped his teeth against his pulse and sucked a bruise into his skin. He had an idea, one that made him flush with equal parts nerves and desire... but it might also allow Mac to get out some of the emotions he was feeling. "Darlin'?" he asked, waiting until Mac hummed to show he was listening before he kept going. "Do you... would you want to... switch things up a little? Like... maybe you could fuck me?"

Mac stilled on top of him and then he slowly lifted his head. His eyes were dark and a little wild, and Jack could see the answer to his question in them, but he waited for Mac to use his words. "Yeah," he rasped out, his voice low. "I'd want that." And then he leaned down to press their lips together in a bruising kiss that knocked out the air out of Jack's lungs.

Jack wrapped his arms around Mac and kissed him back, loving the way their tongues slid together and how Mac nipped at his lower lip when he pulled away to mouth at Jack's jaw, his hand tugging on Jack's sweatpants until he kicked them off. His hips rocked down against Jack's and it felt heavenly, sparks flying up Jack's spine at the friction. Mac's hands were everywhere, squeezing and groping, one of them going low to grab Jack's thigh and hitch it over his hip.

Mac moved a little lower and Jack groaned when his teeth scraped over the scar on his neck before he nipped and sucked on it. “Fuck,” Jack breathed out, thrusting up and clawing at Mac’s shoulder blades with his nails. He felt movement on the mattress and heard a huff before he realized that Indiana jumped off the bed and moved to his dog bed by the wall.

Mac stilled momentarily, moving his lips up to Jack's ear. "You want me to let him out?" he rasped. Jack debated it for a moment and then nodded, so Mac kissed his cheek and got up, opening the door and ushering Indy outside. "Go see Bozer and Riley," he instructed, and Indiana gave him a somewhat incredulous look before Mac shut the door in his face. Then he was back on top of Jack, and as far as Jack was concerned that was where he belonged always.

The way Mac grinned down at him was truly sinful and then he kissed Jack again, licking into his mouth like that was all he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He rolled his hips down again and Jack spread his legs wider, suddenly realizing he hadn't taken his leg off. Mac seemed to notice it at the same time because he pulled back and quickly got it off, tossing it aside before crashing their lips together again.

This position combined with the fact that Jack now only had one working leg made him vulnerable, but he found that with Mac he didn't mind in the slightest. As they continued to kiss he reached for the nightstand and grabbed the lube they hadn't bothered putting away, then grasped one of Mac's wandering hands and pressed it into his palm. "Go ahead, darlin'," he whispered when Mac made a sound against his mouth. "I trust you."

Mac pulled back to look at him and for a moment his eyes softened and when he kissed him again it was gentler and softer. Jack heard the lube getting open and then Mac poured some on his hand and trailed it down Jack's body until he reaches his ass. He circles his entrances teasingly for a moment and after taking a shaky breath, Mac pushed one finger inside.

It was about the time that Jack was breathing through having a finger in his ass for the first time that he realized Mac had never done this either. He brought his hands up to frame Mac's face and kissed him, barely suppressing a slightly hysterical giggle. "You doing okay?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Mac countered wryly, but then he was kissing the corner of Jack's mouth. "Tell me... tell me if I do something wrong, okay?"

"You're not gonna do anything wrong," Jack murmured, groaning when Mac started moving his finger around. "Not that I would know," he added breathlessly, and Mac stilled, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"You... you've never-"

"Nope," Jack whispered. "Never trusted anyone enough."

Mac's mouth actually dropped open a little before he swooped in to kiss Jack again, sloppy and a little overenthusiastic. "I love you," he mumbled, and slid a second finger in alongside the first.

It burned a little, but not in a bad way, and Jack soon found himself clutching at the sheets on either side of his hips. He wasn't ready to rock into the pressure yet, but it was getting more pleasant by the second. "Love you too."

Mac attached his lips to his neck, biting and sucking another bruise into his skin, and Jack groaned when he scissored his fingers apart. That sounds morphed into a whine when Mac pushed in deeper and brushed his fingertips against his prostate, sending sparks of pleasure down Jack's spine. His hips twitched a little and Mac moaned against his neck and after a moment he added a third finger.

Jack liked this a lot more than he had thought he was going to if he was being honest, but maybe it was just because it was Mac that he was doing it with.

He felt full already on three fingers and couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to take Mac's cock, but after a few moments he didn't care. "Mac, baby, please," he gasped out, now raking his nails over Mac's back. "Please, just fuck me already."

"O-okay," Mac breathed out shakily, and removed his fingers. He leaned down to kiss Jack again, nuzzling his cheek and lingering there. "Condoms?"

"Nah, baby," Jack murmured, hugging him close. "Wanna feel you."

He felt Mac take another breath and then he was reaching for the lube and coating his cock with it. He settled between Jack's legs and hoisted up his good leg over his hip as he pressed the head of his cock against Jack's entrance.

That first push in felt like it took hours, and by the time Mac was fully seated they were both breathing harshly. Jack realized he was digging his fingertips into Mac's skin and loosened his grip a little, not wanting to hurt him. He felt full in a way that he had never been before and shifted his hips just a little to see what happened and sucked in a harsh breath when it made him tingle all over. "You can move, darlin'," he said against Mac's ear, since his face was buried in Jack's neck. "Please."

He felt Mac's lips on his skin and then Mac drew his hips back and pushed back in gently, but it was enough to make Jack see starts. Mac set up a slow pace, clearly trying not to hurt Jack, but after a moment of just rocking together Jack wanted more. He also felt how Mac was shaking and he knew there was another reason Mac had initiated sex tonight, so he squeezed him with his arms and leg and murmured into his ear, "Let go, baby. Whatever you need, you've got it."

Mac made a noise that might be a sob and the next time he pushed his hips forward it was a little rougher. Jack moaned with the force of it and then he was crying out when Mac hit his prostate as he started to pick up the pace. "That's it, darlin'," Jack said, his voice shaking. He had noticed how much Mac liked praise and he wasn't about to stop just because their positions had been reversed. "Feels so good, baby, come on, you can go harder."

Mac was panting into his neck and the next sound he made was almost a growl. He pushed his arm under Jack's back, pulling him closer and changing the angle, making Jack bite on his shoulder to muffle a scream when he slammed into him even harder than before. After that it seemed that something had broken in Mac because he set up a quick, rough pace, pounding into Jack, his hips moving like a well-oiled machine, pushing into him fast and hard.

"Oh, _Mac,_ shit," Jack said, barely able to draw in a breath with how hard Mac was fucking him. It felt like he was about to shake apart from the inside out, nothing like getting off with his hand or inside another person, and he never wanted it to end... but that wasn't realistic. "Baby, I'm so close, I'm gonna - " And then Jack was arching his back and letting out a moan of Mac's name as he came, painting his stomach with his release.

Mac bit down on his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around Jack as well, continuing to pound into him. Jack felt himself grow boneless in Mac's grip, his leg and arms sliding down to the mattress, and he was gasping with every slam of Mac's hips. He felt Mac's hot breath on his neck and heard how harsh his breathing was... and then he felt something wet on his skin, about the same time he heard Mac let out a strangled sob, his hips not slowing down.

It was too much, oversensitive nerves firing double time, but Jack didn't care about that - what he cared about was Mac. "It's alright, darlin'," he said into his ear, nuzzling at his skin. That only made Mac sob again, louder this time and mingled with a moan as he chased his own release. "Baby, you're so good for me... can you come for me? Please?"

"Jack," Mac whimpered, tightening his arms around him, and then he pounded into Jack slower but harder, groaning with every slam of his hip. It took a few more of these hard, rough thrusts and then Mac came, biting on Jack's neck to muffle the shout of Jack's name as his hips moved erratically, pumping his come into Jack.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," fell out of Jack's mouth before he could stop it, because even though he was spent his dick twitched feebly when he felt the warmth of Mac's come inside him, slipping out around his softening cock.

Mac's hips slowed and eventually stilled, and he collapsed on top of Jack with a breathless gasp. They both lied there for a moment, not moving or speaking, and then Jack stroked down Mac's back with a hand. "You okay?"

Mac nodded, but the way he was shaking on top of Jack and sniffling quietly kind of spoke to the contrary. "I'm sorry," he whispered, lifting his head to look down at Jack with wide, tearful eyes. "I should be asking you that, I'm... are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

Jack's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and he brought the hand he had on Mac's back around to cup his cheek. "Mac, what? Of course you didn't hurt me," he said, smiling a little. "That was... well, I don't know what I was expecting, but that blew my mind, darlin'. You're something else."

Mac gave him a shaky smile, his lower lip trembling, and he leaned down to kiss him. It was a soft kiss and after a moment Jack felt more of Mac's tears on his own cheeks and Mac shook even more, so Jack broke the kiss, but before he could say anything Mac was hiding his face in his neck. He also gently pulled out, but then he was back on top of Jack, crying quietly, and Jack could only wrap his arms tightly around him, his heart breaking for him.

He made soothing sounds and hugged him as close as he dared, eventually rolling them so they were on their sides, with Jack spooned up behind Mac. He buried his face in all that blond hair and let him cry for as long as he needed to, rubbing a comforting hand over his stomach. "I'm so sorry, baby," he says quietly, tears stinging his own eyes. "I wish that had gone down differently."

"I- I don't understand," Mac whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm... I'm not upset he's dead, I hated him and what he tried to do to me. I- I wanted nothing to do with him." He exhaled shakily. "Then why- why does it hurt like this?"

"Because regardless of how you felt about him, he was your father and you... you killed him, Mac," Jack replies softly, kissing the back of his neck. "Someone had to do it, he wasn't going to quit... I just wish it had been me instead of you. As you could probably tell by how I dispatched those other guys... I'm kinda used to it."

A part of Jack expected Mac to flinch away once he realized _that_, but it didn't happen - actually, Mac snuggled even closer. "I'm not... I don't regret killing him," Mac whispered so quietly Jack barely heard him. "Is that... is that bad?"

Jack blinked hard and managed to keep himself from crying, but it was a near thing. "No, I don't think that's a bad thing," he said lowly, kissing Mac's shoulder this time. "He was trying to ruin your life, baby. And like I said, once he had the gall to show up at my house with a bunch of armed thugs, it was clear he wasn't gonna stop until he did it."

"I was so scared you'd get hurt before I got to you," Mac admitted quietly. "I was worried that maybe one of the thugs would catch you off guard, or that... that my dad would kill you." He shivered again and Jack hugs him closer. "When I got to the woods with Indy I knew I had to get back."

"Lucky you found the crossbow, huh?" Jack said, a touch of humor in his voice. "I had no idea that was still on the ranch, I used to shoot it when I was younger." He breathed in Mac's smell and brushed his lips over his skin while he talked. "Also lucky that you knew how to shoot it."

"My grandfather had one when I was a kid and taught me how to use it," Mac said, grabbing Jack's hand that was on his stomach and holding it tightly. "I'm just glad it worked."

They lied in silence for a moment and at one point Jack almost thought Mac fell asleep, but his breathing was not right for that. "Jack?" Mac eventually murmured, and Jack hummed to show he was listening. "Do you... do you think it's over? I mean... no one will look for them, right?"

Jack considered it for a moment. "I don't think so, no," he replied, squeezing Mac's fingers gently. "Your old man brought those guys out here on an unsanctioned mission - the government will know they disappeared and might be able to track their movements to Texas, but that should be about it. And if somebody does come poking around, I'm sure we can come up with a convincing story." He paused. "Bozer won't say anything to anyone, right? You trust him?"

"I do," Mac replied right away, his voice sure. "He may be shaken up and it'll probably take him a while to make his peace with it, but he won't say anything."

"Good," Jack murmured. "Same with Riley, she's a tough kid."

"You know she's just a few years younger than me, right?" Mac asked quietly, but his voice sounded amused. "Would be weird if you called me kid."

"I did when you first showed up," Jack reminded, tickling Mac's ribs lightly just to hear him giggle. "You know, back when I was trying to pretend that I wasn't insanely attracted to you. I thought if I used that to distance myself I might resist temptation or something... turns out that didn't work. At all."

"Is that so?" Mac asked, and he turned in Jack's arms to face him, and Jack was happy to see that Mac was smiling now, the tear tracks on his cheeks mostly dried. "Am I that irresistible?"

"You have no idea," Jack murmured, pulling him close and kissing his cheek, smiling when Mac stifled a yawn. "How about we try and get some rest, hmm?"

"Could we...” Mac started, biting his lower lip. "I know it's silly, but... can we get Indy back here? I’m pretty sure he's lying by our door anyway."

"It's not silly at all, I love that damn dog," Jack said, which made Mac smile. "Not as much as I love you, but close." He sat up and put his leg on, then went and opened the door - and almost got knocked over when Indy barreled in to jump on the bed and lick Mac's face. "Well, I can see he's got a favorite."

"Aww," Mac cooed, and started laughing when Indiana cuddled close to him. "Did you miss me, buddy? And you were lying by the door, listening in and being creepy? Yes, you were." Mac was talking in this sweet voice some people sometimes used for their children, scratching Indy behind his ears, and the dog looked like he was in seventh heaven. It was adorable and Jack couldn't help but smile, chuckling when Indiana didn't want to move over from the spot previously occupied by Jack.

Jack didn't relent, though, and eventually Indiana decided he was sick of being shoved and went to lie on the foot of the bed. Jack reclaimed his spot and curled up around Mac, that urge to protect him welling up in him again. "I love you," he murmured next to his ear. "You can go to sleep now if you want."

"I love you too," Mac whispered, reaching out to turn off the lights. He snuggled even closer, his back pressed against Jack's chest and right now, warm and safe under the covers, Jack hoped Mac would find some peace. "You should sleep too," Mac mumbled, his voice suddenly tired. "Or are you gonna watch me sleep like a vampire?"

Jack smiles and stifled a yawn. "Maybe I'll be a vampire for a while, but I think I'm pretty tired myself." He kissed the back of Mac's neck again. "Goodnight, darlin'."

Mac mumbled something in response and soon enough he was out like a light, breathing soft and slow in Jack's arms. True to his word Jack watched him for a while, and then he let his eyes slip shut, confident in the knowledge that whatever was coming tomorrow, they would face it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it! ♥


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